


Commence

by Jensine70



Series: Along the Road [3]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Friendship, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-02-28 10:25:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18754546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jensine70/pseuds/Jensine70
Summary: Sequel to: Process (Along the Road – part 2). Set in Season 3, begins summer before freshman year at Hearst.  Back in the spring, Eli broke up with V – saying she deserved better than Neptune, better than him.  She’s determined to convince him that he was wrong to push her away.  While starting her freshman year and opening his new shop, they find their way back to one another.  Things get tense when he asks V to stop investigating the rapes on campus. Things get worse when she chooses to continue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 occurs between mid-June and mid-August 2006 – the summer between Season 2 and Season 3.

Last summer had been filled with travel and romance.  In between Dad’s book tour stops, I had spent as much time as possible with Eli.  Yeah … I’d been working at Java the Hut, and he’d been working as much as he could while helping Letty.  But every minute of his free time that had overlapped with mine, we were together. 

The spark in our relationship had not cooled down after our relationship went public.  Even though we didn’t have that much time to spend with each other, our time together had been filled with verbal and physical expressions of love.  We had been getting to know one another, each other’s families and lives.  If you only looked at the surface level, you might have thought that we didn’t really fit together, but we did.

In my opinion, we still did.

But Eli had pushed me away. 

I’m still not sure what made him think that he wasn’t good enough for me – that I’d be better off without him, better off with someone else.

My heart ached, but I tried to move on.  Not move on from him, but move on with life.

This was a season of my life I wanted to enjoy, to be able to look back on fondly.  A high school graduate going on to college.  I didn’t want to waste time being sad – even though I was.  I didn’t want to waste time being mad at him for … well, quite frankly, for being stupid. 

So I started my summer with the intent to enjoy it to the fullest.  However, circumstances were not completely cooperative with my plan.

Wallace was busier this summer than he had been during senior year.  He attended a basketball camp to up his game for college.  He also worked as a counselor at a basketball camp for kids.  During weeks he was not at a camp, he was working as a gopher at an engineering firm, where he was able to observe and ask questions.  One of the people at the firm had taken a particular interest in him and offered to mentor him.  Needless to say, he was enjoying his summer immensely, but he had very little time to spend with me.

Mac was busy running multiple web businesses, spending time with both of her families (including a three-week European vacation with the Sinclairs), and tutoring at a community center.  So she did not have much spare time either.

While she was in Europe, she asked me to cover her tutoring shifts.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  Since it was summer, these students weren’t working on specific assignments, but rather improving their skills in reading, writing, and in a few cases, reviewing math so that they were able to keep pace when school started in the fall.  Watching the joy and pride on their faces as they finally got a concept or they recognized their improvement was amazing.

Although I had never had the desire to be a teacher, my experiences tutoring Eli and these kids at the community center made me understand why teachers would be willing to deal with all the crap that comes with their jobs.  Being part of someone’s learning process was immensely gratifying.

**~*~**

In the weeks after graduation – with everyone else busy – I was a bit lonely.  So when Leo called, I agreed to go to dinner with him.  A few times. 

I continued to be clear with him that I wasn’t interested in starting a relationship – beyond friendship, that is.  He assured me that he just enjoyed my company – and that he was willing to wait around in case I changed my mind.  But when your heart still belongs to someone else, it’s not about “changing your mind.”

Eli and I did not have much direct communication during the early part of the summer.  Mac was frequently in contact with him about Neptune Trading Post and his progress toward opening his shop, since she was one of his investors.  She passed information back and forth between the two of us – not so much messages for each other, more like news updates. 

**~*~**

Since getting my P.I. license, I had a steady stream of cases coming my way, plus the easy money from background checks through the Get the Dirt website.  I also helped out in Dad’s office when he got buried under mounds of unorganized paperwork.  A couple times, he made quips about adding my name to the door since I was often there.  I’m not sure how serious he was, but it was nice to hear.

Although most of my TBI symptoms had lessened (or in some cases, had disappeared), I still had follow-up appointments with my doctor.  If I overdid it, fatigue would knock me on my butt for a day or two.  Generally, I was careful to not do more than I could handle.  I suspect I would have been more tired this summer if I were working at Java the Hut or another job where I would be on my feet several hours at a time.  It had been nine months since the bus crash, and I still felt its impact in my life.  Physically, cognitively, emotionally, relationally.  Some days, I wondered if I would ever get past it.

Usually, that happened on days when I had too much time on my hands.  I became contemplative and introspective spending time alone.  I not only spent that time thinking in general, but also thinking about and missing my friends – specifically missing Eli.

**~*~*~**

The first week of August, I got a text from Mac giving me a heads up that I might be hearing from Eli. Apparently, he had asked her for help setting up the reception desk and organizing his office.  She was swamped with other stuff and had suggested that he contact me.  She wasn’t sure if he would or not, but she wanted to warn me that he might.

I hoped that he would.  For multiple reasons.  1) I wanted to see him.  2) After years of organizing my father’s office, I had learned quite a bit that could be useful to him.  3) Did I mention that I wanted to see him?

It was about a week later when I finally heard from him.  First, it was a text asking if I was busy.  When I said no, he asked if I had time to talk.  I replied that I did.  Then, there was a fifteen-minute delay before he called.  I wondered if he was debating with himself about dialing my number.

“Hey, there,” I said as I answered his call.

“Hey.”  He paused.  “Um, Mac suggested that I call you.” 

When he didn’t continue, I said, “She told me.”

“Oh.  So you know why I’m calling?”

“You need an extra pair of hands to help set up your office.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, seeming relieved he didn’t have to explain the reason for the phone call. 

“When were you thinking?”

“The sooner, the better.  But whenever you’ve got time.”

I glanced at the clock, which read 11:00 a.m.  “I need to finish up something for Dad – which should only take me a few hours – but the rest of my day is flexible.  So if you want, I could come over this afternoon.”

“That … would be great.  _Gracias_ , Veronica.”

“ _De nada_.”

**~*~**

When I got to his shop, he was sitting on the couch in his office, drinking a beer and reading something on his laptop screen.  He gave me a quick tour of the shop, pointing out areas that needed my attention.  I immediately noticed that he was missing some essentials.  We made a list and then went shopping.  I’m not sure how much he’d had to drink at that point, but he suggested that I drive my car.

After returning from the office supply store, we immediately got to work unloading the bags from the store.  We chatted, but the conversation didn’t go any deeper than small talk and casual, friendly banter. 

A short time later, the bell on the front door rang, announcing the arrival of our pizza.  Eli paid the delivery guy and then headed for the break room.  I thought that meant he planned to eat in there, but he was just getting a beer from the fridge.

“You want one?” he asked.

Shrugging, I said, “Sure.”

We went into his office and sat on the couch, pizza box on the small coffee table.

While we ate, we talked.  He had already given me an update on his progress toward opening the shop.  I had already told him a bit about recent cases – as much as I could tell, which wasn’t much.  Since he saw Mac almost as often as I did and school hadn’t started yet, there really wasn’t much else to talk about. 

Except for our personal lives.

I did wonder if he had been dating anyone since our breakup.  But I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know.  It would be difficult to get that visual out of my head.

Apparently, he had been wondering too.

“Have you seen Leo lately?”

After I finished chewing the pizza in my mouth, I swallowed and then took a sip of beer, considering my response.

“I have seen him since graduation.  We’ve spent time together.  But if you’re asking if we’re officially dating, the answer would be no.”

He seemed relieved by my answer.  I was monumentally confused.  He had told me that he wanted me to go off and have a happy life, but it didn’t seem like he wanted me to move on from him.

I decided to channel my nervous energy into something useful: taking the newly purchased office supplies out of their packaging.  When he had finished eating, we arranged the furniture in a way that would allow him to quickly and easily get to the things he needed.  I organized the office supplies, both in his office and at the reception desk.  Based on my years serving as Dad’s receptionist, I made a few suggestions that should make things easier for anyone working this particular reception desk.  I helped him set up a filing system that would work for him now and grow with his business as needed.  He provided extra hands when I needed them, but mostly he just let me do whatever I thought would work best.

I spent a significant amount of time rearranging the supplies in the closet until I was happy with the layout and how things fit.  When I thought I was finished, I noticed that I had left some extra paper over by the printer after I had filled the tray.  It only took a minor readjustment to get the paper to fit on the closet shelf.

After that, we gathered up the garbage from the office supplies – discarded packaging seemed to be everywhere, not to mention our trash from dinner.  While he took a large bag out to the trash can, I put the finishing touches on his office – arranging the items on his desk, as well as straightening the calendar and certificates on the wall.

When he came back inside, I said, “Well, I should probably be getting home.”

He asked if I was okay to drive. Although he had downed at least two beers since the pizza arrived, I hadn’t even finished half a can **.** And it had been more than an hour since my last sip.  So yeah, I was fine.

He walked me to the front door.  He gave me a hug, but it was not a “friend” hug – not like Wallace would have given me. It was another one of those times that it felt like Eli was trying to communicate without using his words. 

The moment was highly charged; the air nearly crackled around us. 

As I pulled back and was about to say goodnight, he leaned toward me.  At the last millisecond, I turned my head to the side.

He pressed his lips against my temple, as he inhaled the scent of my shampoo.

Much of the drive home, I was in a haze.  It wasn’t until I pulled into the parking lot that I realized that I had left without my bag.  As much as I didn’t want to drive back and I didn’t want to deal with him again tonight, it would be easier than having to do it tomorrow.

The door was locked when I got there, which I expected.  I knocked a few times before I saw him look out through the office doorway.  When he saw that it was me, he moved toward the door to let me in.

I explained about leaving my bag.  As I talked, I noticed that his eyes looked different. His mood was different too.  When I walked back into his office to get my bag, I saw a bottle of tequila on the coffee table.  I don’t know how much he’d had since I left, but there wasn’t much left in the bottle.

When I turned around to go, his body was blocking the doorway.

A few seconds later, the palm of his hand was on the side of my face, fingers through my hair.

His tone was thick with innuendo as he said, “I’ve missed you.”

Then, he began kissing me. And I kissed him back.

He lifted me up and spun around.  Before I knew it, we were on the couch.  He continued kissing down my neck until he hit a spot he knew was particularly sensitive.  He was trying to persuade me to stay.  There was a time … that’s all the persuasion I would have needed.

But that was then.   This was now.

As much as I missed him, missed this, missed his lips on my skin – especially certain areas of my skin – I could not let this happen.  Not when he had been drinking, and we hadn’t resolved anything. Not when … he would probably tell me tomorrow the same things he’d said several times … and push me away again.  That would hurt too much.  So much more than it already hurt.

I gently pushed him away.  His eyes locked on mine and I saw understanding in them.  As I stood up to leave, he reached for my hand.  Against my better judgment, I turned my head back toward him. 

He was still sitting on the couch, gazing up at me. The look in his eyes tugged on my heartstrings.

Stepping between his knees, I placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head.  “Go to sleep, Eli.”

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my chest.  This – this right here – still felt like home to me.  But other than the fact that he missed me, I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling.

A couple minutes later, he loosened his hold on me, and I moved toward the door.

As he flopped back on the couch, he mumbled something about locking the doors for him.  I took his extra set of keys so I could lock the deadbolt on my way out.

**~*~*~**

The next morning, he called and awkwardly apologized.

“Yesterday after I called you … I don’t know, guess I was nervous about seeing you.  I haven’t had that much to drink in … a long time.  I’d had a few before you even got here.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to his admission.  Alcohol is not a solution to any problem.  So I was glad to know it wasn’t a regular occurrence.  But what was he so nervous about?

“Veronica?  You’ve gone silent on me.”

“Sorry – lost in thought.  No apology necessary.” 

He started to say something and then paused, finally saying, “Maybe I should be thanking you for not taking advantage of me in my drunken state.”

We had a good laugh about it, but I still couldn’t figure out what he was thinking when it came to “us.”

**~*~*~**

After that night, Eli and I started spending time together again.  I guess you’d say we were taking things slowly.  We saw each other a few times a week, and we talked or texted daily.

It was a confusing time, to be sure.  I couldn’t tell if he was hesitant to resume our relationship or if he still thought I was better off without him. Or if something else was going on in his head.

I didn’t want to push.  I liked having him back in my life.  But when we were around each other, it was difficult for me to keep physical contact at “friendly” level.  Leaning against him on the couch watching a movie. Talking and stargazing while sitting on the bench swing in his grandma’s yard. The hugs goodbye.  The occasional kiss on the cheek.  The loaded silence at the end of phone calls – when we would have said “I love you,” but now it was just awkward.

I wanted more. I wanted things to be the way they were – maybe even better this time.  I didn’t think he was dating anyone.  According to Letty, he had not dated anyone else since he broke up with me.  (She volunteered the information one night when I was over for dinner.)  But the way he acted around me was different – different than when we were dating, different than the early days of our flirtationship. Anytime I was over at the house, Letty always smiled – said she was happy to see us “together again.” But we weren’t really together.  Not the way I wanted to be.

**~*~**

As fall semester was about to begin and his opening date was getting closer, we spent less time together.  We still talked at least once a day.

During those conversations, I would intentionally try to encourage him and tell him how amazing it was to watch him build this business he had dreamed of starting.  As much as I wanted to spend all my time with him, I tried to stay out of the way and let him focus on getting his shop open.

The more we talked, the more I wanted to spend time with him.  When we did spend time together, it was hard for me to read how he felt about things.  But since I would be staying in Neptune, things between us might actually work … if he’d let it.

* * *

 

**Notes:**

Brief explanation of fic **titles** in this series: I like to play around with words that have multiple meanings or even function as different parts of speech. 

Stall.  Process.  Commence.

I chose the word **Process** as the title for Part 2 not only because V goes through a _process_ that year, but also because the act of walking in a _processional_ (like graduation) is “to _process_.”

… which led me to the title of Part 3: **Commence**.  Graduation ceremonies are called _commencement_ for a reason.  At that point, a new season of life _commences_.

 

Up next: modified version of #3.1 “Welcome Wagon”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 occurs in late August 2006 and includes a modified version of #3.1 “Welcome Wagon.”

Here it is. First day of college. New school, fresh start.

As I stepped onto campus, I decided that I would try not to stir up any trouble or take on any cases. Not right away, anyway. But my BFF immediately pulled me into the middle of something, kind of like he did the first day of school last year.

This time it had to do with his roommate.  After meeting Stosh Piznarski, it wasn’t difficult to understand how someone had so easily taken advantage of him.  But even naïve Neptune newbies deserve assistance in righting wrongs done to them.  So I helped him track down the things that had been stolen from his car – “all his worldly possessions,” according to Piz.  Although he had been skeptical of my abilities when I showed up at their dorm room that first day, he seemed grateful and genuinely impressed when he got his stuff back.

That pretty much occupied all my spare time the first week of classes.

  **~*~*~**

By the following week, I had settled into a routine: basically, rotating between classes and work. Occasionally, I had free time, most of which I tried to spend with Eli. And in between each time I saw him, I spent time wondering how long it would be until I would see him again.

Mac, Piz, Wallace, and I had overlapping breaks around lunchtime.  So, we ended up eating together most days.  One day during the second week of classes, we were taking turns complaining about our professors when I got a phone call from Eli.

“You left the charging cord for your laptop in my office last night. Where are you? I'll bring it to you.”

I told him I was on campus, specifically that I was having lunch in the student center and would be there for about an hour.

When I got off the phone, Piz asked, “Who was that?”

Before I could reply, Mac said, “Her boyfriend.”

Giving her a look, I corrected her assumption. “We haven't really defined things.”

“Well, you're always together.”

“Not always,” I countered.

“Whatever.  You’re together,” Mac paused to emphasize her point. “A lot.”

Wallace concluded, “So … you're ‘together.’ What's to define?”

While they continued to banter, my mind wandered. If I was honest, I did want to define things. Sooner rather than later. Every time I drove through his community to his shop, I had to wonder if any of his old girlfriends were sniffing around – after all, he was technically single, had been single since the spring.

Back when we had talked about our sexual histories, he had told me about the girls he had dated or hooked up with.  It was a fairly long list.  He only told me the names of the ones who had been significant to him. That was a short list.  But I had to wonder … if they had found him attractive before, how much more attractive would they find him now that he was a business owner.

I had been staring off into the distance with my face turned in the general direction of the main doors.  Movement brought me out of my trancelike state.

Eli had just walked through the door.  I stood up and waved so he could see where we were seated.  He smiled, gave a chin lift, and headed our way.

The others – including Piz – watched intently as Eli and I began to interact.

“Hey, there.  That was fast.  Did you call from the parking lot?” I asked.

Eli pulled a chair from an empty table nearby. “Yeah.”

Watching him eye my tray, I asked, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

He wordlessly admitted that he hadn’t, and I pushed the tray in front of him.

As he picked at my food, he said hello to Mac and Wallace.

“And this is Wallace’s roommate Piz,” I said.

Eli nodded.  “Right. Short for Piznarski.  Good to meet you.”  He must have noticed the confused expression on Piz’s face, because he added, “She told me about helping get your stuff back.  Didn’t take you long to find out that she’s a good person to know.”

We all chatted for a while as Eli continued to eat off my tray. During the conversation, he talked about his work in generic terms – mostly talking about the fact that he was busier than he thought he’d be.

“Do you mind me asking what you do?” Piz asked.

“I’m opening up a body shop in a few weeks,” Eli replied.

“Right now, he’s busy with all the preparations,” I added.

Piz seemed appropriately impressed.  “Wow.  A business owner at your age.  How many people will you be employing?”

“Four full-time guys.  Two part-time.   I’m hoping I have reason to add a few more soon.”

“Have you always wanted to work with cars?”

“I’ve worked as a mechanic since I was 16.  Worked on my cousins’ cars and motorcycles before that.  Bikes are more my specialty, but I can fix anything with an engine.”

“What made you want to start your own business?”

Eli kept putting food in his mouth, thinking that Piz was out of questions.  Then, he had to swallow in order to answer. 

This time, Mac came to the rescue. “Actually, he started his first business a year ago.  He and I are partners in that venture.”

“She’s also an investor in my shop,” Eli added.

“Wow again.”

After an odd pause, Eli asked if we were all going to be able to attend the grand opening party.  Wallace, Mac, and I nodded.

“Need any help with anything?” Mac asked Eli.

“You’ve done enough.  But feel free to drop by and see how things are progressing, partner.  And you’re welcome to bring us some business once we’re open.”

“Tell you what, I’ll drop by a couple days before – when you’re putting the finishing touches on – and I’ll spring for pizza for everyone.”

“I’ll let you twist my arm just this once.  The guys’ll appreciate that.  By the way, they love the way you set up the computers for entering the customer info, work orders, inventory.  The older ones aren’t that tech savvy – great mechanics, but not so much with the digital stuff.  But you streamlined things in a way they get and made those sheets with reminder instructions.  So they love you.  Bring them pizza when they’re tired and hungry … you might get marriage proposals.”

“A date … maybe.  Marriage … not quite yet.”

Eli’s phone beeped. “Glad I set a reminder,” he said as he turned off the alarm.  “Gotta go. Delivery coming. They could handle it, but I wanna be there.”

He said goodbye to Mac and Wallace as he stood up.  With one hand on my shoulder, he reached out to shake Piz’s hand, saying, “Nice to meet you.”  Then, he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.  “Later, beautiful.”

I watched him walk away. He turned around to look back at me as he went through the door. I couldn’t help but smile.

Mac shook her head as she said, “You still light up around him.  Seriously what is there to define?”

“Well ... at the moment, his focus is on his business.  Which is where it should be.”

Wallace let out a laugh.  “Except when you're around. Then, his focus is completely on you. Look, I know you guys have a complicated history, been through ups and downs, but right now it looks like all that is behind you.”

“Just enjoy it,” Mac added.  “Be happy. After everything ... you guys deserve it.”

“I wish it were that simple.”

**~*~*~**

A couple nights later, I called Eli.  Just to chat.  He was still at the shop.  He described his long week – hanging shelves, setting up each workstation, putting together some furniture for the break room and waiting area.

Since I was going to pick up Chinese food for dinner anyway, I told him I’d get enough for two and drop by.  When I walked in, he was sitting behind the reception desk.  The newly printed brochures and business cards had arrived.  We talked for a few minutes while he placed them in display holders. 

When he finished, he put his head down on the desk, resting it on his forearms.  I walked over behind him and started rubbing his shoulders.  We continued to chat casually. It was all very platonic until I brought up a potentially uncomfortable subject.

“So … the other day when you dropped by Hearst … after you called and I got off the phone with you, Piz – who you obviously noticed is naïve and curious – asked who I was talking to.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And Mac answered before I could.”

“And she said?”

“My boyfriend.”

He stiffened a bit under my hands, but did not move as he asked, “And you said?”

“That we haven’t really defined things.”

He sat up and turned around to face me.  We shared a long look, but neither of us said anything.  When he turned back around, I resumed rubbing his shoulders.  It had a different feel than it had prior to the silent moment that passed between us.

A couple minutes later, he reached up to still my hands.  “As good as that feels, I think you should probably stop.  I’m only human.”

I was still behind him as I said, “What Mac and Wallace said the other day – it got me thinking.  Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”  I sensed his breathing change as he waited for me to finish my thought.  “I think – for right now, anyway – it’s a good thing that I’m focused on school and you’re focused on getting this place opened.” I paused again, waiting to see if he would say anything. When he didn’t, I asked, “Shall we eat?”

He seemed preoccupied while we ate.  We continued to talk, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.  Could have been work related.  Could have been the conversation we hadn’t really finished.

As we started to clean up, I told him to keep the leftovers.  He thanked me for providing his lunch for the next day.  Then, he asked how my new car was running.

“Great.  Dad got a good deal.  The woman who owned it barely drove it, so it’s practically a new car.”

As we talked, he walked me to the door.

“Glad to hear you’re not having any problems.  It’s ridiculous that a Mars who lives in Neptune drives a Saturn. You know that, right?”

“Ya think I haven’t heard that one before?”

“Anyway, give me a call if it starts acting up.”

“Who else would I call?”

“You know you’d break my heart if you let another mechanic touch … anything of yours.” Then, he gave me a hug, placed a kiss near my temple, and whispered against my skin, “Goodnight, beautiful.”

**~*~**

During the drive home, my mind wandered – the way it often did. I wanted to believe what I had said to him – that it was a good thing that we were focused on school and work, not allowing ourselves to be distracted by trying to sort out our relationship.

But the feel of his lips against my skin had sparked a series of memories – of how it felt to be kissed by him, touched by him, loved by him.

When I pulled into my parking spot, I realized that I had spaced out during most of the drive.

So much for distraction-free focus.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it … Chapter 2 was posted yesterday.
> 
> Chapter 3 occurs in early to mid-September 2006 and contains a modified version of #3.2 “My Big Fat Greek Rush Week.”

At the end of the second week of classes, Mac and I decided to have a girls’ night out.  We went to a midnight movie and then ended up having a few drinks. I opted to stay in her dorm room rather than drive home.  Getting inebriated and having a slumber party was enough to take my mind off the confusing state of my love life.

The next morning, we awoke to Parker screaming at the sight of her reflection in the mirror.

Her head had been shaved.  The details were fuzzy, but one thing was certain: she had been raped.

The night before, I had entered the room to get the movie passes.  I had heard breathing and moaning – and buzzing.  But at the time, I assumed that what I was hearing was consensual pleasure.

I could not have been more wrong, and I felt horrible about it.

The only thing I could do was what I always did: turned my unproductive emotion into steely resolve and got to work to nail the guilty party.

**~*~*~**

One of the professors who taught Intro to Sociology was conducting an intensive study of the prisoner-guard relationship.  Part of that study involved using his students as lab rats in a role-playing experiment.

Wallace and Logan decided to participate in the 48-hour experiment because they were given incentive: the possibility of not having to do the 20-page research project. The two of them ended up on opposite sides; Wallace as a guard and Logan as a prisoner.  They made a side bet, just to make things interesting. Logan lost. I think it somehow involved him having to streak on campus. Whoever said that college men were more mature than high school boys must have met a portion of the population with which I am unfamiliar.

**~*~**

Meanwhile, I worked my way into a job at the Hearst Free Press – as part of my investigation into the rapes on campus.  This past spring, during my visit to Hearst, I ended up doing a little sleuthing.  I was able to prove that Troy Vandegraff had not committed the rape that occurred while he was there that weekend. I had also discovered some damning evidence about one of the fraternities. Evidence that I had provided to the Dean of Student Affairs.

Now that another sexual assault had occurred, there was no way I was going to sit on the sidelines. I was gonna catch the rapist and see him crucified.

Working for the school newspaper might have its advantages since they had info about the Greeks on campus. Granted some of that information might be more accurately described as rumor, but it might still help me solve this.

I told Dad and Eli that I was going to be working for the paper as a photographer. I did not, however, tell them that I was investigating the serial rapes that had been happening since before I set foot on the campus.

**~*~*~**

About a week before Eli’s grand opening, all the signage went up. I swear I almost cried the first time I saw the words “Navarro Auto Body & Repair” on the front of his building. He was beaming with pride as he watched my reaction.

After that, there was a noticeable shift in his attitude.

As the opening got closer and reality began to set in, it seemed that Eli started to believe not only that he could be successful, but that he deserved it.  And he began to act different toward me.  Although he may have wondered whether I deserved better, that had never been an issue for me. But he needed to see it, to feel it, to know it.

**~*~*~**

Two nights before the shop opened for business – which was one night before the grand opening party for friends, family, investors, and employees – Mac dropped by with pizzas for everyone who was there to clean and set up for the party.

She called me on her way home to tell me about it – specifically to tell me that she had hassled Eli about whatever was or wasn’t going on between us.  Apparently, some of the guys who work for him had heard Mac talking about his “girlfriend,” and they started ribbing him about not bringing his girl around to meet them.  He explained that I had been around, just not when anyone else was there. The teasing had escalated after that. She seemed to find it amusing.

Although I’m not sure it was her intent, it was nice to have a bit of warning before walking in there tomorrow night.  I wasn’t exactly sure what I should prepare myself for. Eli might act weird because Mac brought up the topic. His employees might make a big deal out of nothing.  Or was it something?

Thoughts swirled in my head as I tried to go to sleep.

**~*~*~**

The next night, I arrived a little later than I intended.  The festivities were in full swing by the time I got there.  Mere seconds after I got through the door, Eli appeared before me.  He wrapped his arms around me, picked me up, and spun me around. His mood would register somewhere in the ecstatic range.  I heard Lilly’s voice in my head: “High on life, Veronica Mars.”  

He steered me over to where Mac and a few other friends were standing.  

Someone – who I assumed was an employee – pulled him aside.  Making no attempt to lower his voice, the guy said, “Got your hands all over a hot girl when your woman could show up anytime?  Not smart. Sorry, boss. Had to say it.”

Eli glanced over at me and then responded, “This _is_ Veronica.”

The guy looked at me as he said, “Oh! Nice to finally meet you.”

About an hour later, Dad made an appearance.  He stayed just long enough to congratulate Eli, as well as talk to Letty and a few of Eli’s relatives who were in attendance.  

All of the investors were there. Mac. Logan. Even Duncan came down for the night.  Like everyone else, he assumed that Eli and I were back together.  I was getting tired of explaining something I didn’t understand.

Mac had told Eli that she would cover all of the party expenses and put no limit on his budget, but he still tried to be frugal when putting together the event.  A couple of his cousins had made all the food. There wasn’t much in the way of decorations – other than a few small flower arrangements on the serving tables which were covered with white tablecloths – but the environment was tastefully festive.  Twinkling white lights had been strung in the lobby, and soft rock played at a reasonable volume that allowed for conversation.  

He glanced around at the faces of those who had gathered to celebrate his new venture. “So what do you think?”

“It’s perfect,” I replied.  “I know I’ve said it at least a hundred times … but I have to say it again: I am so proud of you.  What you have done is amazing – and I don’t just mean setting up this shop.”

We talked for a few minutes before he left my side so he could mingle with his guests.  Watching him – in his dress shirt and slacks, talking with family and friends, local business owners and his investors – I couldn’t get over the transformation that had occurred in the past year.  It wasn’t that I loved him any more now than I had then, but I had a great appreciation for the effort it took for him to arrive at this place in his life. And a new level of respect.

Just as that thought ran through my mind, he turned his head and looked at me from across the room.  The look that passed between us was filled with longing and heat.

He made his way over to me.  Whispering in my ear, he said, “When everyone leaves, please … stay.” Then, he walked over to the stereo and turned down the volume to get everyone’s attention.  “Some of us have to get up early to unlock the doors and let in the first customers. And we have appointments scheduled all day tomorrow.  So as much as I’m glad you fine people made the time to attend this celebration, it’s time for the party to end. Thanks again for coming tonight, and I look forward to taking care of your vehicles in the future.”

Then, he made sure that all the relatives and friends who were tasked with jobs got started – cleaning up food, taking home leftovers, removing the tables and stereo equipment, etc.  Within half an hour, nearly everyone was gone.

When the last of the party guests were leaving, he walked them to the door and locked it behind them.  I was over at the reception desk.  Some things had been put away for the party. I was putting them back out as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.  First, he placed kisses on my neck. Then, he spun me around and pressed me into the edge of the desk.  After a few seconds of kissing, he lifted me up onto the desk.

Memories of our times in the Neptune High bathroom flashed in my mind.  Laughter bubbled up from inside me.

He leaned away to look in my eyes as he asked, “Happy laugh?”

“Yes.  Memories of—”

“The bathroom counter.”

“Yeah.”

Then he began kissing me again.  Things intensified quickly.  If we were at a different place in our relationship, we would probably have had sex right there on the desk.  But when I hesitated for a second, he began to slow things down.  After breaking the kiss, he leaned his forehead into mine and sighed.

“Eli, we … should talk.”

He groaned.  “Those are words no guy likes to hear.”

“I don’t mean it like that.  Just that … well … before anything else happens – and before anyone else makes assumptions that I have to correct – we should talk.  Or rather … you need to talk. You need to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

No response. He just stared at me.

“Eli. Come on.  You ask me to stay tonight after giving me … that look … from across the room.  Then, you pounce on me as soon as we’re alone.” I paused for effect. “Last time I checked, we were broken up.  In fact, you broke up with me …. for my own good or some such nonsense. So … yeah … I’m gonna need an explanation.”

A crooked smile formed on his face.  “Guess you’re right. We do need to talk.”

He took my hand and led me into his office.  We sat side by side on the couch. He looked down at his hands, which were holding mine.  Finally, he began to speak.

“I’m sorry.  For the mixed messages.  For the jealousy over Leo.  For pushing you away ... because I … didn’t know how I would fit into your life after high school.  For not talking to you about how I was feeling then. And how my feelings have changed.”

“You can talk to me now.”

And he did.  He told me what I had been suspecting – that his confidence level had risen the closer he got to the grand opening.  And that he could see I had no intention of going away.  Then, he laughed and added, “If I didn’t have to be up in a few hours, I’d ...”

“You’d … what?”

“Spend all night making it up to you.”

“You’re assuming an awful lot.  What makes you think I’d give in to your charms so easily?”

“Because I know how to touch you in ways … that make you melt … and moan … and writhe.”

The way he caressed those words as they came out of his mouth was almost enough to make me moan right there.

But he was right.  He needed to get some rest before his alarm went off.

There would be plenty of time some other night to re-consummate our relationship.

“I should get going.  And you should get some sleep.” I stood up and started for the lobby.  “Give me a call Sunday.”

He walked me to the door and gave me a brief kiss.  “Goodnight, Veronica.”

**~*~**

As I drove home, I pondered the fact that he hadn’t called me Mia.  I tried not to read too much into that, but it would probably occupy my thoughts for the next two days.

See, tomorrow was Saturday.  He decided that the grand opening should be on a Saturday.  Have the party on a Friday. Get the Saturday schedule all booked up in advance.  Have Sunday to get things in order and catch their breath before starting the first full week of business.  It made a certain amount of sense. But right now, all I could think about was how long it would be until he had time to call me.

Because – although we had talked and he had opened up quite a bit – we had not actually finished the conversation.  Were we back together?  It seemed like that’s what he was leading up to, but neither of us actually said those words.  There was just the recognition that marathon sex would have occupied the rest of our night if his schedule had allowed.

**~*~*~**

Saturday was an incredibly long day.  I found myself daydreaming and reminiscing.  Most of the images in my head were PG-13, but some veered into TV-MA territory.

By Sunday evening, I still hadn’t gotten a phone call.  I did get a text that read: _sorry, too exhausted to talk.  tomorrow, i promise._

I was disappointed, but I had to imagine that the past two days had been crazy busy for him.

Even though there were so many things I wanted to say (and to hear him say), I replied: _i understand.  goodnight.  cya soon._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it … Chapter 2 was posted yesterday. Chapter 3 & 4 were both posted today.
> 
> Chapter 4 occurs in mid-September 2006, beginning the Monday after Eli’s grand opening.

Lunch on this particular Monday could have been any other Monday. And I was thankful that both Mac and Wallace had nothing to say about what may or may not have happened with Eli on Friday night.  I was happy to talk about other things. Any distraction from my current preoccupation: wondering when I’d hear from him.

A few minutes after we sat down to eat lunch, I felt someone walk up behind me.  Before my mind could register the meaning of the look on Mac’s face, strong arms pulled me out of my chair.  The next second, I was wrapped in Eli’s embrace, and his lips were pressed against mine.

My brain was still a bit scrambled when he said, “Hi.  Sorry about last night.”

“Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I get a lunch break like everybody else.  This is how I chose to spend it.”

“Driving across town to spend five minutes with me before you need to drive back?”

“Totally worth it.”  Then, he kissed me again.  Ignoring the fact that we had an audience, he said, “You need to clear your schedule for Friday night.”

“Why exactly would I need to do that?”

“I made reservations at Alessandro’s.”

“But that place is so exp—”

He cut me off, saying, “You’re worth it.  Wanted to give you fair warning. Now you have all week to obsess about what dress you’re going to wear.  Just be ready at seven.”

Only after he gave me another kiss did he finally look at the stunned faces at the lunch table.  “Hey there, Mac. Wallace. Good to see you again, Piz. Sorry I can’t stay and chat, but I’ve gotta get back to work.”

Before they could say anything in return, he was gone.

After he left, I sat back down and started eating.

Wallace cleared his throat loudly before saying, “After what just happened … right in front of our faces … you’re seriously not going to say anything!?”

“What would you like me to say?”

Mac interjected, “Anything.”

“Okay.   _Anything._ ”

“Veronica!”  Wallace shouted at me.  “What the hell happened over the weekend!?”

“Nothing.”  

They just stared at me and waited for me to spill details.

“Nothing.  Honestly.  Not a thing.”  Seeing the disbelief on their faces, I added, “Well … we talked for a few minutes after everyone left on Friday night.”

“Talked?” Mac asked.

“Yes. Talked.  He …”

“Finally took his head out of his ass?” Wallace asked.

“Not exactly how I would say it.  And nothing’s really settled. We didn’t officially get back together or anything.”

“But he’s taking you out on Friday.”  Piz decided to enter the conversation.

And while that was a true statement, something in me still felt the need to be cautious.   

**~*~*~**

My last class on Fridays started at three o’clock.  I don’t think I heard a single word of that entire lecture.  My brain was preoccupied with what I needed to do between then and 7 p.m.  I needed to stop at Mars Investigations and drop off some notes to Dad. If he was there and not in a meeting, he would want to ask about my day.

I had told Dad that I had plans tonight.  I just hadn’t told him what those plans were or who I’d be with.  Not that I thought he’d have a problem with it, I just didn’t want to get interrogated about the status of our relationship before I had any idea what the answer to that question was.

Thankfully Dad was with a client when I dropped by the office, so I was able to get out of there quickly.  He arrived home an hour or so after I did. By then, I had showered and gotten dressed. I was fixing my hair when he knocked on my door to ask me where I would be going.

He took one look at my dress and said, “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that you’re not planning to hang out at the dorm with Wallace and Mac watching movies.”

“No.”  I didn’t volunteer any further info.

“You have an actual date tonight?”

“Yes.”

“One-word answers.  You know that’s like catnip, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is this gentleman caller coming to the door to pick you up?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I’ll go park myself in the living room so I can greet him when he arrives.”

About thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang.  I heard Dad get up off the couch to answer the door.

Then, I heard him say, “So, you’re her date.”

“Hello, Sheriff.  Seems like you weren’t expecting me.”

“Come on in.  It’s nice to see you, Eli.”  There was a pause as they moved over to the couch and chair to sit down.  “She’ll probably be a few more minutes.”

I listened to them make small talk while I finished getting ready.  Mostly Dad was asking Eli about his first week of business.

Before picking up my clutch and pashmina, I took one last look at myself in the mirror.  The maroon dress hugged all my curves, and the heels of my strappy sandals were just high enough to show off my calves.

Eli stood as I walked down the hallway.  I smiled as I looked at his expression. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw me.  Mission accomplished.

He swallowed hard before saying, “You look stunning.  I just realized that I haven’t seen you dressed up since … last spring.”

When he dropped by after Alterna-Prom.  That would have been the last time he saw me in a dress.

Dad gave me a one-armed hug and a kiss on the top of my head.  “Have a nice evening.” He turned to Eli and shook his hand. Looking back at me, he said, “I’m guessing I shouldn’t wait up.”

Eli responded to the comment before I could.  “I’ll have her home by midnight.”

My dad and I said at the same time: “That’s not necessary.”

But Eli just smiled and offered me his arm as he asked, “Shall we get going?”

**~*~**

It had been quite a while since I had been in his Mustang.  I took a moment to admire the beautiful restoration job and remember the circumstances that surrounded the purchase of the car: the early days of Neptune Trading Post and his last days as leader of the PCH Bike Club.  

The drive to the restaurant passed quickly, mostly in silence. The comfortable kind.

When we pulled up to the entrance, the valet opened the door for Eli.  Then he walked around to open the passenger door for me. 

Alessandro’s was a five-star Italian restaurant not far from the beach.  After a delicious meal and luscious dessert, we took a walk on the pier. He held my hand.  Everything felt fresh and new. We stopped for a while to look out at the water, listening to the waves rolling in.  On the way back to the restaurant, he took off his coat to put around my shoulders. The entire evening felt enchanted.

Throughout our walk and during dinner, I had asked him about work, and he asked me about school and my current caseload.  But we didn’t really talk about us.

As we waited for the valet to bring the car around, I wondered if he planned on ignoring the elephant in the room – even if just for tonight.

During the drive home, I asked, “So you’re really taking me home early?”

“It’s not that early.  And yes, I am. We’ve got plenty of time for late nights.”

“You sure you’re not just trying to get back on Dad’s good side?”

“Already there.”

I didn’t know what that meant.  But I liked the sound of what he had said before that.  He was thinking long-term. That was so much better than worrying about him pushing me away again.

**~*~**

Once we were back at my apartment building, he opened the car door for me again and then walked me to my apartment.

After giving me a kiss, he didn’t seem quite ready to say goodnight.  

Glancing through the window, I said, “It looks like he went to bed.  You wanna come in for a little while?”

He hesitated for a second before saying, “Another time.  I’ve gotta start early tomorrow.”

I nodded in understanding.  “Tonight was … well, it ranks up there with some of my favorite moments with you.”

He ran his fingers through my hair and rested his hand on the side of my face.  “Me too.”

“It felt so natural and easy tonight.  Not that it didn’t before. But there was always so much chaos around us.  It feels different now.” I paused briefly. “Am I paranoid and cynical to wonder how long until something goes horribly wrong?”

“Don’t worry so much.”

“Fine.  I’ll just enjoy it.”

“Good ‘cause there’s more where that came from.”

“More? I like the sound of that.”

As he kissed me again, I could tell that he was trying to take things slowly, but the chemistry between us was as palpable as it had ever been.

Finally, we said our goodnights.  He watched me go through the door before he turned to walk away.

I locked the door, set my things down on the kitchen island, and went to the fridge to get some water.  A minute or so later, Dad came out of his room.

After taking one look at my beaming face, he said, “Looks like you had a nice time.”

“Am I that easy to read?”  Before I had even finished the question, he nodded his reply.  “Yes, it was wonderful. The same but different … in a good way.”

“You know I wasn’t thrilled when he started coming around a couple years ago.  I know better than most people the trajectory he was on.  But he’s made a real effort to change that.  Not sure you could find a better guy.  And after everything the past few years, you deserve to be happy.”

I shook my head.  “Wow! He was right.”

“About what?”

“I asked if he was bringing me home early to get on your good side.  He said he was already there.”

He nodded and said cryptically.  “Eli and I have an understanding.”

“And that is?”

“He treats you well, and he won’t find himself in a world of hurt.”

“You threatened a former gang leader?”  Laughing at his bravado, I continued, “You’re one of the few authority figures he ever respected. You know that, right?”

“Well, he grew up in Neptune.  He didn’t have a lot of options.”  Dad gave a shrug. “But yeah, I know.  And don’t think I haven’t used that fact to my advantage.”  Pointing to himself, he added, “Protective father of daughter, here.”

“If you say ‘who’s your daddy?’ … I’m out.”

He gave me a kiss on the forehead.  “Goodnight, honey. You gonna be around tomorrow?”

“I have a paper to work on, so I’ll be at the library for a while.  Other than that, yeah, I’ll be home.”

“Daddy-daughter dinner?  Maybe a movie?”

“Sounds good.”

He went back to bed.  As I picked up my wrap and clutch, I felt my phone buzz inside my handbag.  I checked it and saw a text from Eli.

_just got home.  miss you already._

_me too._

_didn’t wake you, did i?_

_no, haven’t even changed clothes yet.  had a chat with Dad._

_everything ok?_

_all good._

_and now you’re about to get naked?_

_having second thoughts about bringing me home early?_

_not exactly.  just remembering how beautiful you are.  every inch of you._

_wouldn’t mind getting a look at all your ink again sometime soon._

_gonna go take a cold shower now.  sweet dreams. i’ll call tomorrow._

_if i don’t answer, i'm in the library doing research._

_all day?_

_mostly, then daddy-daughter dinner._

_i’ll share you with him, but nobody else._

_like you have an option._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line “Nothing. Honestly. Not a thing.” is from the movie Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961).
> 
> June is going to be hectic for me, but I hope to have two more chapters up by early July.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 is a modified version of #3.3 "Wichita Linebacker."
> 
> Occurs late September into early October 2006.

Our date last Friday had been as close to perfect as I could imagine. Our phone conversation late Saturday night had been filled with double entendre. Eli had called me again on Sunday. During that conversation, we agreed that with both of our schedules, weekday availability would be unpredictable. So we decided that we should make the weekend date night a regular thing. If it was a slow week for both of us, we might get to spend two evenings together. We agreed that we would try to talk at least every other day, but we both understood how busy the other's schedule was. Although we didn't talk about it, I figured that we would end up texting at random times. In truth, I really hoped we would find time to see other more often. 

In the meantime, he would be occupied by running his business, and I would have my classes and cases.

**~*~*~**

When I got to the student center for lunch on Monday, Mac and Wallace had already claimed a table. I dropped my bag and went in search of food. When I got back to the table, all the chairs were full. Piz had arrived. And Eli was in my chair. I honestly did not expect to see him that day; we hadn't made a plan for seeing each other during the week.

As soon as I was within reach, he pulled me into his lap, saying, "You can sit right here,  _querida_. When someone leaves, I'll grab their empty chair. Until then…" His voice trailed off as his hands laid claim to my body.

A laugh escaped my lips – actually, it was more of a giggle.

With a finger and thumb on my jaw, he turned my face toward his as he said, " _Besame_."

I leaned toward him – just an inch – and he moved to capture my lips. I was expecting one of his possessive kisses, which was the norm when we were in public. But this kiss was tender and unhurried, just like his current approach to our relationship. I kind of wished he'd take another approach. This excruciatingly slow seduction awakened every need that had not been met since spring.

"Hey," said Wallace, trying to get our attention. "Some of us are trying to eat here."

I broke the kiss, about to tell off my BFF. But Eli reached for a french fry and put it into my open mouth.

As I chewed, he asked, "Remember that day at lunch junior year?"

Blushing as the memory flashed through my mind, I said, "Yeah. Not sure why I did that."

"Did what?" Wallace asked.

"She came over to my lunch table..."

Finishing his thought, I said, "He asked me to look into something for him and—"

"While she was arranging a time for us to meet, she was flirting with me and—"

"I don't know that I'd say I was flirting."

"What would you call it exactly? Getting in my personal space … feeding me a french fry … getting ketchup on my lip on purpose just so you could clean it off and lick—"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, okay. I did do that," I admitted.

The others had been watching our exchange. Mac interjected, "So who made the first move? I don't know that I ever heard that part of the story."

It didn't seem like Eli was going to answer, so I spoke up. "We both flirted. We kind of circled each other like boxers, trading jabs – until one of us finally admitted their feelings. And by 'one of us' I mean him. Honestly, I didn't think of him in that way. And I didn't think he thought of me that way. I thought it was just flirting. But after he saw Logan kiss me, he decided we needed to have a talk."

Wallace and Mac both shouted, "What?!" at the same time.

Mac began, "You never told me—"

Wallace finished her thought, "—that Logan kissed you."

"It was nothing. An emotional day. He had been upset about his mother … I don't know why exactly … he just kissed me. But it was just that one time."

"That explains SO much," Mac continued, watching me closely, "So this 'talk' … what got said?"

I glanced at Eli before answering, searching his eyes for an indication of how much he was okay with me telling. "He didn't come right out and say it … but he said enough … for me to understand why he'd been acting protective. And he was clearly jealous about the kiss. He just wanted to know where we stood. It took me a minute to sort out that I had developed feelings for him too."

Mac shook her head and laughed, "So he was the first one to admit his feelings? That's just so … precious."

"Don't start with me, partner." Eli tried to make his expression match the threatening tone in his voice, but it was clear to all of us that there was no real animosity under those words.

He resumed feeding me french fries, and at one point, he kissed some ketchup off my lips. I was still in his lap. If he didn't mind the arrangement, I certainly didn't.

Piz had been silent through all this. Suddenly, he stood and gathered his things. "I just remembered I need to go see one of my professors." Looking at Eli, he added, "You can have my chair."

**~*~**

When the four of us had finished eating, Eli asked for my car keys.

"Why do you need my keys?"

"On my way in here, I noticed two of your tires are low. I figured I'd check your fluid levels, fill the tank."

As I got out my keys, I said, "That's awfully nice of you."

He added, "And I think I'll take it to the carwash."

"Are you implying that my car is dirty?"

"No." He paused. "I need to stop by to talk to someone."

"Why not just take your own car?"

"Did that the other day."

"Ah … it's all becoming clear. It's not about my tires or my wiper fluid or anything else. You just need an excuse to go there again." Holding my keys just out of his reach, I said, "Tell me why. And you can have the keys."

He explained that a former PCHer was out on parole after an assault conviction. The guy seemed to want to change, but he was gonna need some help to keep on the straight and narrow. Eli had made a commitment to himself that he would help in any way possible. Right now, he couldn't afford to hire Carlos himself, but he could drop by, be a friend, offer a listening ear and some advice.

"I don't want to see him do anything stupid. He's got a kid. He can have a future, a better future. I want that for him."

I placed a hand on the side of his head, pulling his mouth toward mine. After the kiss, I said, "I love your big, soft heart."

"Is that the only part of my anatomy you love?"

Choosing not to answer that loaded question, I handed him my keys.

Then, he asked what time I would be finished and promised to have my car back by then.

Late that afternoon, when I got back to my car, there was a single long stem rose with a note that read: "From Your Not So Secret Admirer."

That brought a smile to my face as memories flooded my mind – some things I had thought about during lunch when Wallace and Mac were asking questions, but some other things were specifically triggered by the note. It was Eli's not-so-subtle reminder that just before Valentine's Day 2005, notes and flowers had been left for me. It wasn't until he had slipped a note into my back pocket during our first kiss that I realized that he had been my secret admirer.

It had been a long road to get here. For both of us. But I felt as giddily in love now as I did that night – the first time he kissed me senseless.

**~*~*~**

School and work kept me busy enough that I didn't daydream about Eli. Not too much, anyway.

Although there were some paying clients, one case was more of an obsession. So in between other cases – such as a football player whose playbook was stolen by his well-meaning but pathological girlfriend – I was also trying to figure out the identity of the Hearst rapist.

The Hearst Free Press published an article titled "Lilith House Protest Creates Controversy" which featured a photo of several topless women and a sign that read "We go to Hearst, go ahead and rape us!" I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when the Hearst Lampoon published its response: a group of shirtless guys and a sign that said, "No thanks – except maybe the blonde in the middle."

I happened to be having a meeting with Dean O'Dell when the primary two people from each side of the argument converged in the dean's office. And of course, I got pulled into the drama. O'Dell's car was damaged, and graffiti had been written on it. But not by students, as he had originally suspected – specifically, Fern and Nish of the Lilith House. No, it was his fifteen-year-old son, who had borrowed the car and had an accident. Then he tried to make it look like the car had been vandalized. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, another case solved.

I had asked Eli if he could repair the dean's car at a discount – hoping that would get me out of the doghouse with the dean. (Dean O'Dell wanted me to reveal a source. Which, of course, I would not.) Eli took it a step further and did the job for free. Even gave the car a tune-up. He didn't tell me why until later. When he delivered the car to the dean on campus, he told him that it was free of charge if he could do him a favor. That favor was to hire an old friend of Eli's – Carlos, who had lost his temper at work and as a result, lost his job at the carwash. He needed a legit job. And fast. Eli had seen the "help wanted" flyers on campus about the maintenance position a few days before I asked him if he could fix the dean's car.

O'Dell told him he'd think about it and get back to him. Two days later, the dean called him and said that his car had never run so well. He was incredibly impressed with the bodywork and paint job. He would hire Carlos on a temporary basis for two months. If there were no problems, they would upgrade the "temporary" status. The dean was being cautious because of Carlos's record and former gang affiliation. Understandable, I guess. Still, if Carlos didn't screw up this chance, he'd have a good solid job and a decent chance at changing the course of his life.

It warmed my heart to see Eli paying it forward. Especially in such a creative way.

**~*~*~**

That week, I got eight (count 'em, eight) email reminders from Piz about the premiere of his radio show, "But We Were Just Talking." He had chosen ambitious territory for his first show: attempting to facilitate dialogue between Fern and Nish of the Lilith House and Darren and Stew from the Hearst Lampoon.

While they were on the air, Fern got a text saying that Claire had been raped. She had been "the blonde in the middle" that the Lampoon had been referring to. The on-air conversation between the four of them got intense after that. I have to say that Piz handled it well, all things considered. But still, it made me wonder if his boss at the station or Dean O'Dell would consider his show too controversial, too provocative.

**~*~*~**

That Friday, Eli took me to another fancy restaurant. I told him that he didn't have to do that.

Again, he brought me home early. I told him he didn't have to do that either.

But he seemed intent on having his way on both those issues. I just wished he'd have his way with me. I had even carefully chosen my undergarments – just in case.

When we talked and texted that weekend, the flirting was off-the-charts hot. Scorching. So much so that I wouldn't have been surprised if he had found a way to crawl through the phone to get his hands on me.

**~*~*~**

Mac and Wallace were happy for me, happy that things were going well with Eli. But they were both lonely since their significant others were on the other side of the country.

Mac and Casey had decided to try doing the long-distance thing, which meant a lot of texting and phone calls. He was figuring out if he could come home for a visit before Thanksgiving. Neither of them had dated anyone else yet, but it seemed to me they weren't sure what would happen if the opportunity presented itself.

Mac kept busy though. She still did the weekly dinner and game night with the Sinclairs. They invited her to spend a weekend at the house sometime if she needed to get away from campus. Really, she was welcome anytime, but they wanted her to have the full college experience as much as the MacKenzies did – living on campus, away from home ... even though she was in the same town as both sets of parents.

Wallace and Jackie were both so busy that they barely had time to stay in touch, but it sounded like they were making plans to see each other at least once this fall and she was probably coming out for a week around New Year's to celebrate a belated Christmas with her father.

Dad and Alicia were, by all appearances, still going strong. She had been out of town for work a few times in the past month, which cut down on their time together, but that allowed Dad to spend more time with Darrell. When Alicia was away on business, he would stay over at their house so that Darrell's routine would be disturbed as little as possible.

**~*~*~**

I had started investigating the rapes when I visited Hearst back in the spring. Especially after Mac's roommate was raped, it was obvious that I would continue to investigate. While I was in the beginning stages of piecing together the puzzle, I happened to bump into Caz on campus. How did I not know that he was going to Hearst? It seemed unlikely that he could be responsible for the serial rapes, but once a rapist, always a rapist. So I checked to see if he had an alibi for the dates and times of these rapes. He did. After that, I just tried to ignore the fact that he was here at Hearst – and move on with my investigation.

On Monday at lunch, I mentioned to Eli that I had bumped into Caz. He asked if I was okay, but other than that, he didn't say much. I saw a flash of something in his eyes, but it was gone in less than a second.

Even though I hadn't seen it for a while, I knew that look. That look was more Weevil than Eli.

I didn't say anything about it for a few reasons. Caz wasn't a topic I wanted to stay on for any length of time. Seeing Eli's reaction, I kind of wished I hadn't brought it up. I hoped if I left it alone, he'd eventually forget about it – or get too busy to do anything about it. Things were going so well for him – and for us – that I didn't want to stir up any of his old tendencies. I liked our currently drama-free life.

* * *

_querida_ = darling

 _besame_  = kiss me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 is nearly ready to go and will be up in the next few days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to all the new readers who have just recently found this series! 
> 
> Like I'm sure many of you did, I binged Season 4 as soon as it was available. NO spoilers! Just this … I can't believe the way they chose to end it! 
> 
> Now, that I've said that … back to this fic …
> 
> I always thought that the Padres should have been mentioned more in fall of Season 3 – after all, they made it to the postseason and Keith would have had a thing or two to say about how that went down. [Thanks to my friend Scottie for providing details about that season.]
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter 6 occurs in early October 2006.
> 
> To be precise, it begins the day after Chapter 5 ends.

Even during a normal baseball season, Dad couldn't shut up about the Padres. (Have you seen his Christmas ornament collection?) But this year, his fanaticism was off the charts, because his team had made it to the postseason. They were playing the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series. Game 1 was that Tuesday.

Dad – along with all other Padres fans – considered this a chance for redemption after getting swept by the Cards in last year's NLDS. This year, fans had their hopes up, because the Padres had a better regular season record – 88 wins versus 83 for St. Louis. Going into last year's postseason, San Diego had only won 82 games, which was significantly fewer than the Cardinals' 100 wins.

But at the end of game 1 that Tuesday night, Dad switched off the tv, muttering, "Here we go again." It seemed the fears he didn't want to speak aloud before tonight were coming to pass.

**~*~*~**

On Wednesday, there was no Padres game to watch, but Dad kept an eye on what was happening in the other NL Division Series. For those keeping score, the Mets defeated the Dodgers in game 1.

**~*~*~**

That Thursday night, I sat with Dad to watch game 2. It was heartbreaking to watch Dad get his hopes up only to have them crushed. This game confirmed all the fears that surfaced with the loss of game 1.

He took comfort in a large bowl of ice cream. I let him have the last two maraschino cherries. While we ate our sundaes, he went on and on about missed opportunities.

"They had two men on in the 1st and the 5th, but they couldn't get a clutch hit."

"It was a tough loss." I attempted to console him, but my efforts weren't getting any traction.

"They had a chance to answer back in the 5th. And they needed to after the Cards scored 2 in the top of the inning."

I dropped another scoop of Rocky Road into his bowl.

He groaned as he said, "I really thought they might rally in the 8th when Barfield doubled to left with two out."

That night the Mets beat the Dodgers again. It was beginning to look like it would be the Mets versus the Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

**~*~*~**

That Friday, there were no National League games to watch. So Dad took a night away from the tv. He was leaving for a date with Alicia just as Eli was picking me up.

Eli had texted me earlier in the day to tell me that I didn't need to dress up for our date. His exact words were: "There won't be a valet tonight." When I asked what I should wear, he said, "Not jeans and a T-shirt, but not a ball gown."

I didn't know exactly what all that meant except that he had finally gotten it through his head that I didn't need (or expect) 5-star restaurants or a day on a yacht.

We ended up at a restaurant just a few blocks from his shop. He had wisely decided that it was a good idea to patronize other local businesses. Plus the owner was a friend of the family.

During dinner, I could tell there was something he wanted to bring up. So I finally said, "Out with it. Whatever it is ... just say it ... or ask it. Please."

He smiled when I said  _please_. Then, he said, "I need to ask you for a favor."

"Is that all? Why all the weirdness? Is that not the bedrock upon which our relationship was founded?" After a brief pause, I added, " Sure, whatever you need. If you'll do a favor for me next week."

"Not even gonna ask me for details?"

"Nope."

"Makes me think I'm not gonna like whatever it is you want me to do."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Fine."

"Good. What is it you need, Eli?"

"Got anything going on tomorrow?"

"Nothing big. Why?"

"How do you feel about temp work? The receptionist needs tomorrow off – uncle's funeral – and I'd rather not have to cover the desk all day."

"Not a problem."

"What exactly am I going to have to do in return?"

"I have to do an oral presentation in my Intro to Criminology class. I'm allowed to use audio-visual aids."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, you're both – audio and visual."

"And I know a thing or two about crime?"

"Yeah. Would you mind? I'd like to talk about the socio-economic conditions that lead preteens into a life of crime."

"Sure. I'll let you exploit my past for the benefit of your education."

"It will benefit the other members of my class too."

"Why? Because most of them didn't spend their formative years hanging out at the sheriff's department and associating with known criminals?"

"I highly doubt it."

We finished dinner and stopped by to see Letty for a few minutes. Then, he drove me home. We sat on the patio overlooking the ocean for a while. We didn't talk much at all. He just held me as we looked at the full moon above and listened to the waves crashing below.

Just before midnight, he walked me up to my door and kissed me goodnight.

"See you in the morning,  _cariño_."

**~*~*~**

The next day, I got there bright and early – about 30 minutes before the first scheduled appointment.

I had met most of his employees. However, there was one mechanic who couldn't make it to the grand opening party. When I walked in that morning, this guy felt the need to inform me that they weren't open yet.

Before I could explain why I was there, Eli came walking out of his office.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"You know her, boss?"

"Yeah, this is my girlfriend, Veronica. Also our receptionist for today. V, this is Rob."

Reaching out to shake his hand, I said, "Nice to meet you, Rob."

As he walked away from me, I heard him say to Eli, "Lucky bastard."

Eli's reply: "You have no idea."

We had a couple minutes alone for him to tell me what to expect throughout the day – and for him to give me a proper good morning kiss.

Just before lunch, there was a female customer who seemed displeased when I told her that Eli would not be working on her vehicle. Although I tried to assure her that all of the mechanics were fully qualified, she insisted on talking to Eli – calling him by name, rather than requesting to "speak with the owner" as I would have expected.

When I let him know the situation, he grumbled as he wiped his hands and followed me into the lobby. I returned to my place behind the reception desk and watched as he began to deal with this high-maintenance customer. From the very beginning, she was being way too familiar with him for my taste – touching his arm, leaning toward him to make sure he saw her cleavage. It seemed clear to me that he didn't know her well – if at all – but that didn't stop her from flirting shamelessly with him.

This went on for several minutes as she tried to talk him into personally working on her car, adding that she would "make it worth the time and effort." He remained firm about the fact that his day was filled with previously scheduled appointments, working on custom bikes for his top clients. Still, she flirted and tried to persuade him. She was persistent, I'll give her that. But it had started to piss me off.

I was further bothered by the fact that he wasn't doing enough – in my opinion – to shut her down. Maybe he was just trying to be polite and professional. But he was leaving enough of an opening that she thought she was getting somewhere with him.

Also, I hated to admit it, but it made me wonder if he would have flirted with her if I had not been standing in the same room.

She finally gave in and agreed to let another mechanic do the work, but made it clear that from now on, she would make her appointments with him specifically. The hell she will, I thought to myself.

I would have preferred to talk to him about it as soon as she turned to leave, but he had other things do. That conversation would have to wait until he took his lunch break.

When we did finally talk, he seemed both amused and concerned by my comments – which, to be honest, were pretty snarky. He should be glad he didn't hear what I would have said a couple hours before that.

"Is this jealousy?" he asked.

I tilted my head, mostly as a delaying tactic while I gathered my thoughts. "Jealousy would involve piano wire."

I tried to explain that I wished he would have found a way to drop into the conversation that I was his girlfriend – and not some random girl behind the counter. There were multiple opportunities. Like when the woman complained about his "bitchy gatekeeper" who wouldn't immediately let her talk to him. Yeah, she was talking about me. Perfect opportunity to say something like, "I'll be happy to address your concern, but I would kindly ask that you not refer to my girlfriend that way." I mean, really. He could have found a way. But he didn't. And he didn't completely understand why it bothered me.

So the rest of the afternoon was filled with tension – and not the sexual kind. Toward the end of the day, I realized that it would have been more effective if I had given him a hypothetical scenario where he was the one watching someone flirt with me – or reminding him of the time he overheard Leo flirting with me. I decided that would be the approach I would take when we had a chance to finish the conversation.

When he was done for the day, he asked if I could stay for dinner, suggesting that we order something to eat. Apparently, he knew we weren't done talking.

**~*~**

We sat on the couch in his office, eating at the coffee table. Over dinner, I reminded him of the night he had helped distract Leo so I could get my hands on the recordings of the anonymous tip calls. Eli had been bothered enough by the conversation I had with Leo that he was waiting for me when I got back to my apartment building. "You do recall standing in the hallway just outside the sheriff's office eavesdropping on us. Don't you?"

He didn't reply but seemed to acknowledge that he understood what I was getting at.

"I don't think you were intentionally encouraging her, but Eli, … you didn't exactly discourage her either."

"V—"

"You have to remember, I spent my formative years watching people while they lied to, cheated on, and betrayed each other. The trust thing doesn't come naturally for me. So, it was difficult to watch her talking to you and wonder what you would have done if I wasn't right there."

He did not immediately respond. When he did, he admitted, "There was a time I would have flirted with her, a time I would have been tempted ..." He trailed off, not finishing his thought. He seemed to switch track, as he continued, "But this bad boy has been feeling a little reformed. For more than a year now." He picked up my hand and tugged on my arm, pulling me into his lap. "Come here,  _nena_." As he held me, he placed light kisses up my neck toward my ear. "Wanna hang around for a while … maybe watch a movie?"

It was difficult for me to say no to this man when he was being so sweet.

While he was getting his laptop set up for the movie, I used that time to make a trip to the bathroom and stop in the break room for another can of soda. When I got back to his office, I grabbed a shirt that was hanging on the back of his office door, since I had not brought a jacket with me.

As I walked toward him, he looked up. "I always liked seeing you in my clothes. Almost as much as I like when my leather jacket smells like your perfume."

The memories that floated through my mind caused me to smile. The look in his eyes caused butterflies to flutter in my belly.

We settled in on the couch to watch The Princess Bride. In between cuddling and saying lines of dialogue along with the actors, we ended up having a fairly serious discussion.

"V, something you said earlier got me thinking ... much as I'm afraid to hear the answer … gotta ask … Were you with anyone since we broke up back in the spring?"

I wasn't sure what he was asking. Was he talking about sex? Or dating? "With anyone? As in—"

"Did you go out with anyone? Other than Leo."

"No. No other dates. And no one night stands." I decided I would clarify it all while we were here. I watched relief wash over his face. "What about you? Was there anyone since you broke up with me?" Letty had told me several times that she didn't think he was seeing anyone. But I wasn't sure if that was something he would have told her about.

As I was asking the question, I saw something flash across his face. His answer was delayed just enough that I expected him to say yes. But he said, "No."

"Eli, what aren't you telling me?"

He rubbed the back and top of his head, the way he did when he was nervous. "There wasn't anyone. Not really. But … I did have … offers."

"Offers? Multiple?"

"Yes."

"Asking you on a date?"

"Not exactly."

"Then … what? Offering you sex?"

"More or less."

"And you responded  _how_  to these offers?"

"Turned them down." His tone implied an unspoken word:  _obviously_.

"Okay … just trying to figure out why you're being weird about it."

"It's not a new thing. I always got offers … especially when I was leading the PCHers. But in case any of them keep coming around, I wanted to tell you now so you know I'm telling the truth later. You told me a long time ago that you prefer people being upfront with you."

All I said was "Yeah," but my mind was spinning. I wanted to believe it was that simple – they offered, he declined, he opted for complete honesty. But my life experience demanded I look deeper to be sure I wasn't missing something.

He interrupted my thoughts, "But,  _mi vida_ , you have to know by now that there's no one else. How could there be anyone else, when you're the only one I can see?"

This man. Seriously. This man could reduce me to a puddle of girly emotion.

We watched the remainder of the movie in blissfully distracted silence. He traced circles on my back and arm almost the entire time. Things didn't go any further than that, but the connection between us was intense.

**~*~**

About the time The Princess Bride was finishing, I had gotten a call from Dad. He was ecstatic! The Padres had won game 3.

When I got home, he gave me the play-by-play. Seriously! Play. By. Play. But he made me a celebratory sundae – so who am I to complain?

Dad was hopeful that they could still do this, win this uphill battle. "After all, the Red Sox were down 0-3 against the Yankees in '04... and they went on to win the World Series ... sweeping the Cardinals, by the way." He rambled for a while and circled back around, adding that, "Dave Roberts could be a good luck charm for the Padres. He was a key part of the 2004 postseason for the Red Sox ... a stolen base in the 9th inning of game 4 against the Yankees ... that was the start of the comeback." He paused briefly and then added, "We could rent Fever Pitch for inspiration."

That night the Mets won again, sweeping that series 3-0.

**~*~*~**

Sunday was the day Eli got caught up on paperwork and got things organized for the following week. On this particular weekend, I went over to help him so he could get things done quickly, which would give him time to come over and watch the baseball game with us. The Fennels and Mac were also in attendance that night.

Dad made his usual array of appetizers – things he would normally make just for himself when watching a big sporting event. In addition to all of that, Letty sent food with Eli. And Alicia brought a few things too. So even if this game went into extra innings, there would be leftovers for everyone to take home.

Although we had plenty of food for the number of people, there weren't enough seats. More than a few times, Alicia said, "This is why I suggested we all watch the game over at my house," lightly teasing Dad.

Eli had taken the upholstered chair next to the couch. I wasn't surprised when he pulled me into his lap, but Dad didn't seem to be comfortable with the arrangement. So I moved down to the floor between Eli's feet. I wouldn't have minded anyway, but as a bonus for sitting on the floor, I got a backrub out of the deal.

From the beginning, Dad was on edge. And even people who did not understand the game of baseball would have clearly understood by his demeanor that his team had to win this game to "stay alive."

Dad took every opportunity to explain the game to Darrell – general baseball knowledge, but also specifics about this particular matchup. Things like: "Getting to Carpenter in the 1st is big." Dad thought the offense might click – or at least, that's what he was hoping.

It was a big let down when St. Louis put up two in the bottom of the 1st.

He continued saying things like, "They can still do this," for a few more innings. But when the Cardinals scored 4 runs in the 6th, he lost all hope. There was not much chance at that point, considering the lack of offense.

But the Padres kept fighting. They tried to come back. Even had two men on base in the 8th and 9th innings, but again, they couldn't get a clutch hit. In the end, the Padres lost 2 to 6. And that was the end of their season.

At the end of the game, the Fennels left so Darrell could get to bed. Mac stayed for a while and had the "pleasure" of hearing Dad rant.

He lamented the lack of clutch hitting, "They went a combined 2-for-32 with runners in scoring position during the Series." In his more hopeful moments, he mentioned building on this season and last, being better next year. I knew that it would take him a while to sort out all the emotions he was feeling right now. I also knew that I'd be hearing this kind of commentary for weeks, even months – and that he would flip back and forth between the positive and negative without any warning or transition.

Mac hung around until we were done cleaning up. Then, she made her escape from Dad's post-game analysis. Eli stayed after she left. In fact, he stayed even after Dad went to bed.

We were back at the stage where it was getting increasingly difficult to stay goodnight.

At moments like this, the jukebox in my mind played "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys:

"You know it's gonna make it that much better

when we can say goodnight and stay together."

**~*~*~**

The following week, I was scheduled to give my oral presentation in Landry's class. Eli had promised he would be there, but I was a little nervous that something would happen to cause him to be late. When Landry's TA called my name, I was about to tell him I wasn't prepared to go, but just then, Eli stepped through the door of the classroom. He looked handsome – dare I say, delicious – in his dress shirts and slacks.

After explaining to Tim Foyle that Eli was here as my audio-visual aid, I began my presentation.

"Eli Navarro stole his first bicycle at the age of 6. He was in and out of juvenile detention beginning when he was 13 years old. By the time he turned 16, he was the leader of the Pacific Coast Highway Bike Club. By his count, he spent more than 700 days in juvenile detention facilities. After he left the PCH Bike Club, he turned his energies toward finishing high school and starting a legal business. Currently, he owns and operates Navarro Auto Body and Repair. And I speak from experience when I tell you that you won't find a better mechanic."

When I opened it up for questions, one of my classmates seemed incredibly interested – not in the topic I was discussing, but rather in my boyfriend.

The attractive blonde started with this question: "Do you think you can ever really leave gang life behind? I mean, once you've been in it that long."

"Well, compared to some, it wasn't that long. But I get what you're saying. Yeah, I think you can. I did. My life could have turned out different – way different. It took a lot of work and a lot of help. I've got several good friends and family that helped me get out, helped me start my business. Trust me, they will beat my ass if I would ever be stupid enough to go back to that life. But I can't imagine why I would. I'm happy with my life now. More than happy. Business has been good. Keeps getting better. I'm busy all the damn time."

Her follow-up question: "What do you do for fun when you're not working? How do you unwind from all the stress?" She wasn't even trying to hide the fact that she was flirting.

But Eli had been paying attention during our conversation the other night.

"I spend every spare minute with my girlfriend."

The blonde chick added, still flirting, "She's a lucky girl."

And just for clarity's sake, I decided to stick my nose into the discussion. I cleared my throat before saying in a strong voice, "Yes, I am."

Wow! If looks could kill. That girl had perfected the death stare.

**~*~*~**

After my morning class that Friday, I dropped my car off at Eli's shop. He had actually ordered me to – kept telling me that I needed new tires. He drove me back to campus and stayed to have lunch with me. As he kissed me goodbye, he told me that he'd be back to pick me up after my last class. And then we would have our weekly date. Something casual, that's all I knew. Whatever it was, it did not require me to go home and change.

Since he picked me up earlier than usual, he decided to take a drive along the coast. We had done this frequently on his bike, but not in his Mustang. When he was beat out of the PCH Bike Club, they had put his motorcycle in the ocean. At the time, he had said he would replace it eventually, but he hadn't talked about it for a while. Not that I had heard anyway.

"Does this make you miss your bike?"

"Why? You miss being pressed up against my back with all that power between your legs?"

"Answer the question, mister."

"Yeah, sometimes I do."

After turning around and heading back toward Neptune, he finally stopped in a little town and parked near the beach. Then, we walked a couple blocks to a café.

The atmosphere was lovely, and the food was delicious. This prompted me to ask: "How did you find this place?"

"You have to let me have some secrets,  _cariño_. I like being able to surprise you. If you're not going to let me take you to fancy places, then at least, give me that."

After dinner, we walked to the beach and watched the sunset. I sat between his legs, my back against his chest. We had sat this way so many times. It was near perfection – wordless companionship at its best. Our breathing would synchronize; I could practically hear his thoughts. Tonight, those thoughts were screaming a need for intimacy.

When we got back to the car, he unlocked my door and started to open it. But then he placed his hands firmly on me and pressed me into the side of the car as he claimed my mouth. When he was through, he leaned his forehead into mine and said, "I've been wanting to do that for hours."

"I'm not at all opposed to your line of thought, but if things go much further, we should at least get in the car. That way, we'd have a little privacy."

He didn't take my suggestion. Not right away, anyway.

He drove me home, but when he got to my apartment building, he parked in the darkest part of the lot. This make-out session reminded me of ones in the shop at Neptune High. We remained clothed – for the most part – but things got hot. And oh my, was I bothered.

Just as I was ready to suggest that we continue this somewhere more private – like his apartment – he slowed things down.

"If I asked for an explanation, would you give me one?" I asked.

"Not sure I have one,  _nena_. Just going with my gut on this. And my gut says 'not yet.'"

He walked me up to my door. Dad was in the living room watching tv.

"Do you want to come in for a while?"

"Just to say hello to your dad, but then I'll get going."

And that's exactly what he did.

Dad seemed surprised to see us. He turned down the volume on the tv as he said, "You're home early. Even earlier than normal."

"Hello, Sheriff. It's been a long week. I'm headed home to get a good night's sleep."

"You're turning into quite the responsible adult. And I will never turn down the opportunity for some daddy-daughter time."

"She's all yours," Eli said. Then, he placed a kiss on my cheek and walked back toward the door.

When I had shut and locked the door, Dad asked, "Everything okay, honey?"

"Yeah, everything's great. Perfect really. Other than the fact that he's taking things excruciatingly slow."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"No. Of course. I know that. It's just weird to shift gears. Our relationship before was … very high octane. Now, I feel like our date nights are straight out of …" I was searching for the name of some old tv show, but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

"The Patty Duke Show?" Dad offered as the completion of my thought.

"Something like that. It's just a bit of an adjustment."

He turned the tv volume back up. He was watching the Mets and the Cardinals play game 2 of the National League Championship. I watched with him for a little while and then went back to my bedroom.

After I climbed in under the covers, I sent a text to Eli.

_I miss you._

His reply was immediate:

_You just saw me._

_Not what I meant._

_Miss being with you._

His response was delayed:

_Yeah, me too._

_Maybe we should do something about that._

After another delay:

_Maybe we should._

* * *

 

 _cariño_ = sweetheart / darling

 _nena_  = baby

 _mi vida_  = my life (term of endearment)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next two chapters are written, just need to be edited.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs in mid-October 2006.

Lately when I woke up, I had to pinch myself. I was giddily happy that we were back together. Although we didn't have a set plan, Eli would drop by campus at least once a week to have lunch with me. Usually, it was twice. And almost always a surprise – since he was never sure if he would be able to get away.

After three weeks of lunches and four weekends of dates (ranging from 5-star restaurants to ultracasual), I decided it was time for me to drop by to surprise him.

If the level of activity in the shop on this particular Tuesday evening was any indication, then business was better than good. I sat down in the lobby and waited until the guy behind the desk finished waiting on a customer. Then, I walked up and asked if he could let Eli know I was there.

"Any message I should give him?"

"Just let him know that I'd like to talk to him if he has a minute." 

"You got a name?"

I hadn't met this guy before, so he had no idea who I was.

"Veronica."

Two minutes later, Eli walked into the lobby, wiping his hands on a rag. As he steered me into his office, he asked, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and laughed. "Nothing's wrong. I just … wanted to see you."

He looked confused, so I had to break it down for him.

"You've been making a point of coming to see me at Hearst. I wanted to make sure that you know … I'm as invested in this as you are."

A smile spread across his face as he said, "Good to know." He glanced at the wall clock before asking, "I've still got a few things to finish up. You need to get going? Or …?"

"I'm not in any hurry."

"You could go upstairs and study while you wait. I should be done in an hour. Two at the most."

"I think I can keep myself occupied."

He opened the door to his office, and we walked down the hallway that led to the break room. There were three other doors in the hallway: a storage closet, a bathroom, and the door to the stairs that led up to the second floor. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door to the stairwell.

Pointing at the lock, I said, "I don't remember that deadbolt being there."

"Right now, there's not much up there worth stealing. But with employees and customers using this hallway, figured the front door to my home ought to have a lock on it."

"Makes sense."

"If you're hungry or thirsty, help yourself to whatever's up there. We can order food when I get done, or you can order something before then if you want."

"I can wait."

As I walked past him to go up the stairs, he smiled at me, nodding at my comment.

**~*~**

This was the first time I had been upstairs in his building. I found a light switch at the top of the stairs; it controlled the lights for most of the second floor. However, the far end of the floor was pitch black. There may have been another switch that controlled the lights over there, but I decided to not fumble around in the dark for it.

I took a few minutes to look around. Although the main floor had previously been used as a repair shop (and therefore didn't need much renovation), the upstairs appeared to have been unused for years.

There was a small bathroom in one corner — the only enclosed area. Other than that is was just one large open space. He had set up his bed on the same side of the building as the bathroom. Next to the bed was an end table serving as a nightstand. And a few feet beyond that was a dresser, plus a rod for his hanging clothes. There was a little kitchen area – a utility sink, a microwave on top of a minifridge, metal shelves holding nonperishable food and some dishes, and a table that had a hot plate at one end and a single chair at the other. Building out a kitchen was not high on his list of priorities. Besides, there was a full kitchen in the break room next to his office downstairs.

It wasn't fancy, but all the basics were there. And it was all his.

Taking it all in – the home he was making for himself, a physical representation of the life he was making for himself – I was overwhelmed by feelings of pride and love.

About five minutes after I walked upstairs, I pulled out my books and laptop, set them on his kitchen table, and got to work. After an hour and a half of homework, I packed up my books and took my laptop over to his bed. I checked email and read a few news articles. By then, I could feel myself starting to doze off. Finally, I closed my laptop and curled up under the blanket.

**~*~*~**

As I started to wake up, I felt weight shifting on the bed. It took me a couple minutes to remember that I wasn't at home. I rolled toward Eli, who I expected to be sitting on the side of the bed. But he was under the covers with me.

When it registered that there was sun coming in the windows, I suddenly sat straight up.

He turned his head toward me as he said, "Good morning."

"Why didn't you wake me? I was hoping we could talk last night."

"You were sound asleep. And you looked so cute … But we can talk now."

"You're gonna need to put a shirt on." Looking at his bare torso, I said, "That's a little ... distracting."

"You never complained before."

"You didn't look like that before."

He laughed. "It's not like it happened overnight."

"Did you join a gym?"

"When would I have time to go to a gym?"

Gesturing at his abs, I said, "Well, how exactly did you get those?"

He pointed toward the other end of the second floor – the area that had been dark last night. I could see that he had set up a home gym.

Getting back on track, I semi-scolded him, "You really should have woken me up … Where's my phone? I need to call Dad. He's probably worried."

" _Nena_ , I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry. I should have."

After I located my phone, I walked several feet away from the bed. Distance was the only way to get any privacy on this floor. There were no walls. Yet. He had told me that he had plans to renovate the space after the shop was up and running.

As I dialed my phone and listened for my father to answer, I turned to see Eli sitting on the end of the bed facing me. He was still shirtless; loose pajama bottoms covered his legs. I couldn't help but stare.

Dad's voice came on the line, "Good morning, honey. I was about to send out a search party."

"No need to do that. Sorry to worry you. I went over to talk to Eli last night—"

"You're an adult, Veronica. You don't—"

"Dad, please let me explain. He was still working when I got here. I went upstairs to wait 'til he was finished. I must have fallen asleep. He decided not to wake me. I just woke up a couple minutes ago."

"Okay … well … I'm about to leave for the office. I'm guessing you two still need to talk about … whatever you went over there last night to talk about. So I'll see you this evening."

"Do you need me to drop by the office today?"

"If you have some free time, sure I could use a little help with … well, everything."

"I'll double-check my schedule when I go home to change, and then, I'll let you know when to expect me."

"Thanks, sweetie. Have a nice day. And say hello to Eli for me."

"See you later, Dad."

After I ended the call, I just stood there. We stared at one another from about 50 feet away. His gaze was heavy on me; the moment was intensely heated.

"Sounds like your Dad is headed out for the day."

"Mm-hmm."

"So, he won't know whether you get home in 20 minutes or 2 hours."

"Mm-hmm."

The look in his eyes – it was something I recognized but could not immediately name. It was not simple lust. It was something more like hunger – the most intense expression of need I had ever seen on his face.

He reached out for me as he said, "Get your ass back over here,  _M_ _ía_. Now."

"I'd forgotten how bossy and possessive you could be."

"You're gonna make me say it again? Get back over here where you belong."

I smirked as I said, "In your arms?"

"In. My. Bed."

The way he delivered that statement took my breath away. And without consciously deciding to do so, my legs began to walk toward him. When I reached the edge of the bed where he sat, I stepped between his knees.

He wrapped his arms around my torso and rested his head on my chest. I felt the word before he said it: "Stay."

I placed a slow, tender kiss on the top of his head.

He leaned back and looked up at me, waiting for my response. I gave him a single nod as I smiled down at him. The crooked smile he gave me caused heat to pool in my belly.

He pulled me onto the bed with him and then rolled me on my back. He leaned on his arms, holding his body above mine.

There was a note of warning in his tone as he said, "The first time, I'm going to take you hard and fast. But after that, I plan to take my time. So, you're going to miss your morning class."

"I am?"

"Yes. You are."

"As long as you promise to make it worth my while."

"You've never had any complaints before."

"Then, what are you waiting for? I'm on a schedule here,  _vato_."

He tore my clothes off as quickly as he could without ripping them. Just as he started to pull off his pants, he stopped suddenly. There was a strange look on his face.

"Eli, what is it?"

"You wouldn't happen to have a condom, would you?"

"You don't have any?"

"It's been a while since I needed one," he said as he hurried toward the kitchen table, where he must have emptied his pockets last night. He grabbed some money and then ran down the stairs. I assumed he was headed to the condom machine in the restroom on the first floor.

He returned, dropped three condoms on the bedside table, and rolled one on.

He dipped his fingers inside me and groaned when he felt how ready I was. Wasting no time, he entered me in one thrust. Then, he brought his fingers to his mouth and licked them clean.

" _Dios mio_ , I've missed you – your taste, the way you feel around me."

I chose to squeeze my internal muscles at that exact moment.

He groaned. "Gonna kill me before I have a chance to get started."

"Seemed like a good opportunity to do my Kegel exercises. Sorry." I wasn't one bit sorry, and he knew it.

"Don't apologize. This would be one hell of a way to go."

True to his word, the first time was hard and fast.

After he held me for a few minutes, he pulled me out of bed so we could get breakfast. He wore only pajama bottoms, and I had on one of his tshirts. We ate quickly and then went back to bed.

As we moved from foreplay into the main event, we had a few awkward moments. Switching positions did not go as smoothly as it had in the past, but we quickly recovered. Through physical intimacy, we found our way back to each other again – finally, completely. Back in the spring, during our last time together at the B&B, he had been saying goodbye. This felt like he was saying hello – getting reacquainted with his favorite spots, my most sensitive areas, places that had been left unattended these past months. He was definitely making up for lost time.

When we began this lovemaking session, he had taken what he needed. After that, he gave better than he got. His mouth was on me until I was screaming, "I can't take anymore."

He laughed and said, "Not done with you yet." He gave me just a moment to catch my breath, and then he was inside me again.

By the time we finished the second round, my mind was mush, and my legs felt like gelatin. He reached for his phone and set an alarm to go off in an hour. Good thing he did, because we fell asleep in each other's arms.

The last thing he said before drifting off: "Never needed anything like I need you,  _M_ _ía_."

It made my heart so happy to hear him say that. Because I didn't just love him, I needed him in my life.

* * *

_nena_  = baby

_Dios mio_ = my God

_M_ _ía_  = mine (used here as a nickname)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hurried to get the past couple chapters up a little faster than I had been planning. Partly for you, partly for me. The end of Season 4 was tough to watch. Even though I'm not a die-hard LoVe shipper, the emotional whiplash was hard to take.
> 
> Reminder about this series of fics: Part 3 and 4 are outlined and about halfway written. Part 5 was completely written two years ago. So I know where all the ups and downs in their relationship are. I will try to warn you beforehand. Although there are some rough patches along the way, I know exactly what the ending looks like and I can tell you with complete certainty that the series ends with a true happily ever after for WeeVer. 
> 
> Next chapter should be up in a week or less.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Occurs in mid-October 2006.
> 
> This chapter begins a couple of hours after the last chapter.

We hit snooze a few times. When we finally got up, I took a quick shower. Alone.

As I hurriedly got ready to leave, he was still stretched out in the bed – naked, partially covered by a sheet – watching me get dressed.

"Don't you need to get to work?" I asked.

"Told them last night I wouldn't be in 'til after lunch."

"So, you planned this."

He gave me a wicked little grin. "Can't blame a guy for hoping. But obviously, didn't plan too thoroughly – or I wouldn't have had to go downstairs to get condoms."

I leaned over to give him a goodbye kiss. He grabbed my wrist as I started to go. With his other hand, he reached under his pillow for something, which he placed in my hand.

Looking down, I saw a key ring with three keys. "What are these for?"

He pointed to each key as he explained, "Key to the building, my office, and the deadbolt to the door at the bottom of the stairs. A couple of the guys have a key to the building. Mac has a key to my office. No one else has a key to get up here."

I wasn't sure what to say.

"You are welcome anytime,  _M_ _ía_. Quiet place to study. Hang out. Whatever."

The tone he used seemed to indicate a meaning that was not as casual as the word "whatever" might imply. In order to clarify what he was thinking, I asked, "Spend the night?"

"I wouldn't hate the idea of you in my bed on a regular basis."

**~*~**

On the drive home, my mind replayed what had occurred that morning. With us, the sex had always been good. But this was on a whole different level. And it wasn't just about the sex. Something had shifted in our relationship. I liked where we were now – and where it seemed we were headed.

One thing I knew for certain: Staying in Neptune had been a good decision.

The song that was playing on the radio as I pulled into my parking space was "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker. I smiled as she sang the line: "Don't you know this is where you belong?"

Walking up to my apartment, I played with the new additions to my keyring. In a way, I was shocked that he had given me keys to his work and his home. And yet, it felt right.

Once inside, I hurriedly changed my clothes, smoothed my hair into a side ponytail, and did my makeup. Before leaving, I looked at my schedule and sent Dad a text letting him know when I would be able to get to the office.

I headed to campus for my afternoon classes and managed to get there in time to have a quick lunch with my friends.

At first, I thought I was being paranoid, but after catching people looking at me, I asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Mac said, "Just trying to figure out what's different."

Wallace added, "Yeah. Did you change your hair?"

"No, it's not her hair," Mac said. "New makeup … or incredible new skincare product?"

"I didn't do anything different to my hair. I'm not trying out new products. I think you're all seeing things."

Piz spoke up, "You're glowing."

Logan agreed, "He's right. You are."

Mac gasped and then said, "Oh. My. God." After pausing, she said, "You—"

Cutting her off, I said in a threatening tone, "Don't say it."

She didn't seem to feel the weight of my threat. "You did. Didn't you?"

I got up from the table to throw away my trash and return the tray. Mac followed me.

"You guys had sex. First time in … how long?" She waited for me to answer, but I didn't. "So … how was it?"

Walking back toward the table, I said, "I'm not talking about this. Especially not here, not now." Arriving at my chair, I reached for my bag as I started to say goodbye to everyone.

"We'll talk later. I want details," Mac said as I turned to go.

"Details? About what?" Piz asked innocently.

Wallace had been reading, but as Mac's comment and Piz's question sunk in, his head shot up. "Wow! Can't believe I missed something so obvious."

"BFF, you should stop right there. If you want to keep your BFF status … if you know what I mean."

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" Piz asked Logan.

"Yes. Apparently, you are," Logan said as he looked up at me. He gave me a smile that told me he was happy for me. And yet, there was something in his eyes – a hint of sadness or regret.

**~*~*~**

After class the next day, I walked to my car. When I opened the door, I found a note on the seat.

My boyfriend had broken into my car to leave a handwritten letter. I cried as I read it.

 _M_ _ía_ _–_

_I didn't realize how empty my heart felt until we got back together and it was full again._

_I can't imagine how I ever thought I could live without you in my life._

_My heart is yours. Forever._

_– Eli_

I decided I would drop by his place to leave a note for him. I wrote it on the back of a photo I printed for him – one that was taken at the beach a little more than a year ago, the same day as the photos of him with Felix. I thought I would leave it on his desk. But when I got there, I decided to leave it on his pillow. I had just gotten back down the stairs and was locking the deadbolt when I felt him come up behind me.

He firmly grabbed my hips and whispered into my ear, "Fancy meeting you here."

"I was just about to leave."

"Stay. Please. For at least a few minutes."

I turned the key, unlocking the deadbolt I had just locked. He led me up the stairs. On his way toward the bathroom, he peeled off his clothing. He stopped next to the bed when he noticed my note. After reading it and looking at the photo of us, he turned to look at me.

"Give me two minutes to get a shower."

I sat down on the side of the bed to wait. And before my mind had a chance to wander, he was walking out of the shower. He toweled off quickly and moved toward me.

He explained that he had only intended on giving me a hug and a kiss once he got cleaned up. But after he saw my note, he changed his mind. He asked me if I could stay a little longer. My "yes" set him in motion. Ten minutes later, we were spooning under the covers, completely naked.

As we lay there, I wondered what, if anything, he had done differently that I had become aroused so quickly – and come so hard. Normally, it took longer for me to have an orgasm that intense.

I didn't want to move – and honestly, I wasn't sure I could. But if I stayed like this much longer, I would fall asleep.

"Do you need to get home?" he asked as he nuzzled my neck.

"Not immediately. Do you need to get back to work?"

"No." He reached for his phone and ordered food.

After we ate, we had sex again. Finally, I left around 10 p.m. He walked me out to my car and kissed me goodbye.

With his forehead leaning into mine, he sighed. " _Dios_ _mío_ ...  _estoy enamorado de ti_."

It had been a wonderfully unexpected evening. Even though I would have to stay up late preparing for class tomorrow, the loss of sleep was totally worth it to spend those hours with him.

**~*~**

When I got home, Dad didn't say anything about the time. He just let me know the results of game 7 of the National League Championship: the Cardinals had beaten the Mets. It was apparently an exciting game – not only had the series gone to a 7th game, but they were tied 1-1 going into the 9th inning of tonight's game. After all of that, Dad felt the need to point out some info about the MVP, St. Louis pitcher Jeff Suppan. The one win the Padres had over the Cardinals during the NLDS, they had beaten Suppan. It was a small consolation to know that his team was good enough to beat the team that was going on to the World Series and their star pitcher.

**~*~*~**

Mac and I did not have a chance to talk until Friday morning. She desperately wanted details – mostly because she missed Casey and was trying to live her love life vicariously through me. I didn't give her much in the way of details; I talked more about that fact that we were in a good place. Eli had sorted out whatever it was he needed to sort out. He no longer felt the need to push me away, and he had stopped trying to convince me that I was better off without him.

Shortly after Mac and I arrived in the student center, Eli walked in.

Turning to Mac, I said, "You better behave."

"Who? Me? Like I would say anything to him about you finally—"

Just then, he walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me. As he loosened his hold on me, he said hello to Mac, adding, "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"

She and I both shook our heads no.

He held my hand as we went to get our food. While we sat eating our lunch, he had one hand on my thigh the entire time. I hardly noticed that there were other people at the table with us. He couldn't stay very long, so I walked him to his car just to have a few more minutes with him. After he kissed me goodbye, he said, "See you tonight."

**~*~**

Because Dad was out of town, I needed to cover stakeout duty. Not exactly an ideal scenario for "date night." Fortunately, Eli did not care where we were, as long as we spent time together. So when he finished up at work, he showered, picked up food, and then met me in my car. It took hours before I got the money shot, but he didn't seem to mind hanging out with me while I was working on this case.

Our conversation covered many topics while we sat in my car that night. But one thing he told me … well, it was just so sweet of him. He had made a list of everything that we had at the apartment for Backup – from doggie bed and crate to the brand of food we buy and Backup's favorite toys and snacks. Yesterday, he went shopping and bought all of it, so that Backup would be able to stay at his place without me having to bring any of his stuff from home.

At first, I didn't completely understand why he had done it. "That was incredibly thoughtful of you, but not necessary."

"That's where you're wrong,  _M_ _ía_ _._ I know you … you're more likely to spend the night at my place when your dad's away. But that means he's not there to take care of Backup."

"I see … so this way, I can bring him with me … and I don't have a reason to leave your bed."

"Precisely."

"I like the way you think."

"I always knew you had a thing for me, but I never thought you wanted me for my brain."

"That's where you're wrong, baby. I want every part of you. And that brain of yours is just as sexy as the rest of you."

After I finally got the money shot, he followed me home and gave me an extended goodnight kiss. Then, he tried to persuade me to get Backup and drive over to his place to spend the night.

"How about tomorrow night?" I countered.

"Spend the night? And then hang around on Sunday for family dinner?"

"Sure."

"Bring church clothes."

"What?! You're kidding, right?"

"Nope.  _Abuela_  doesn't like it when I miss mass. And I like eating her cooking on Sunday evenings."

**~*~*~**

The next day, I had some more work to do on the same case, but when I was done, I went over to Eli's shop. I brought Backup – and an overnight bag. Backup seemed to enjoy checking out new territory. Eli's employees seemed amused that I had a pit bull. Made me wonder what they'd think if they knew I carried a taser everywhere I went.

While Eli finished working on the last car of the day, I did a little cleaning up in his office and the breakroom. Then, I helped him do inventory and put together a list of things that would need to be ordered on Monday.

After he took a shower, we climbed into bed and watched a movie on his laptop. I had expected him to pounce on me the moment we were alone. But he seemed content to cuddle. And surprisingly, I was content to let him have his way.

**~*~*~**

Waking up at his place the next morning seemed like the most natural thing in the world. We ate breakfast together. And showered together. We even took Backup for a walk. The entire time was filled with displays of affection – of the PG-13 variety.

We met his family at St. Mary's for 10:30 mass. It was strange but nice. Church was not a part of the Mars family routine, but I could see why some people included that in their lives. There was a strong sense of family – not just among those who were blood relatives. In a town like Neptune, people needed to take comfort wherever they could find it.

Letty asked if we would be coming over for dinner later in the day. Eli looked at me, indicating that I should answer. Maybe he was concerned that I'd changed my mind. I told Letty that I'd love to join them and thanked her for the invitation. This would be my first time back at a Navarro family Sunday dinner since we had broken up in the spring. I had seen some of the family at his graduation party, but I would have to admit that I was a bit nervous about seeing them all again.

After church, we went back to his place to change clothes. Then, we both drove to my apartment to drop off my car and my overnight bag. We also took Backup for a walk before getting into Eli's Mustang to drive back across town.

**~*~**

When we arrived at Letty's house, Ophelia came running toward me to give me a hug. Most of his relatives warmed up to me, but a few were still cold. Letty did what she could to smooth things over; she made a point of having me sit next to her. That seemed to help change the attitudes of some who were unsure about my presence.

While we were cleaning up after dinner, one of Eli's cousins said, "So you came crawling back." She clearly didn't like the fact that I was there. She practically spat at me as she said, "I can't believe he let you back in his life."

Before I could respond, Eli walked over and said, "You've got it wrong. It was the other way around. I screwed up. I had to win her back."

Putting my arm around his waist, I looked up at him as I said, "Well, that's not exactly true, either. You didn't have to win me back. You just had to stop pushing me away. Not that it worked. I'm not going anywhere. Not without you anyway."

"Damn happy to hear you say that,  _nena_."

* * *

 _Dios_ _mío_ _… estoy enamorado de ti_  = My God … I'm in love with you

 _nena_  = baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is about to get crazy busy for me. Therefore, this fic will be on hiatus for a few months.
> 
> But I have good news: I finally got back to work on We Used to Trade Favors (WeeVer fic set one year before the movie). (Thank the people who repeatedly asked me to finish it.) Beginning in about a week, I will post that entire fic over the next couple months. Then, I will return to this fic.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the other VMars fics I posted while this was on hiatus [We Used to Trade Favors is complete, plus 6 new one-shots (all but one of them are WeeVer)].
> 
> And now we return to this series, already in progress.
> 
> Chapter 9 is a modified version of #3.4 "Charlie Don't Surf," #3.5 "President Evil," and #3.6 "Hi, Infidelity."
> 
> Occurs between late October and early November 2006.
> 
> Picks up right where Chapter 8 left off.

I had enjoyed having dinner with Eli's family again. I knew a few of them didn't trust me, but most of them had welcomed me back.

We helped Letty take leftovers and serving dishes back to her house. While we were there, she asked Eli if he wanted to pack up the rest of his things and take them with him. So we spent some time putting stuff into boxes and bags.

"It's a little strange being back here … in your old room," I said.

"A little, I guess." Then he looked up at me. "Mostly, it makes me want to attack you."

His comment made me curious, so I asked, "What is it about this room that makes you want to—"

"It's not the time we spent in here together … It's the number of times I … fantasized about you over the years … in this bed."

I sat down on the bed and then leaned over onto my side, bending my arm to prop up my head. "So you fantasized about me … in this bed?"

His only response was a smile.

Looking for him to clarify, I continued, "Did you fantasize while you were in the bed? Or were you fantasizing about having me in this bed?"

"Yes to both."

"Have all your fantasies been fulfilled?"

"Most."

"But not all?"

"No, not all."

"Would you care to share?"

He seemed hesitant to answer. "You sure you want to know what goes on inside my head?"

Now I was nervous. Why would he think I wouldn't want to know? I tried to keep my voice steady as I said, "Yes."

"One of my earliest fantasies about you – possibly the first – was of you letting me …"

"Letting you what?"

He walked over to close the door to the bedroom, and then leaned back against it. Sliding his hands into his jeans pockets, he looked at me as he said, "Letting me watch you … touch yourself."

"Do you mean what I think you mean?"

He nodded. "You look shocked."

"I am … a little. Because I …"

"Are you telling me that you've never—"

Not wanting to answer his question, I cut him off. "So are you asking me to …"

"Just sharing one of my fantasies. If you'd like to fulfill that particular one, I wouldn't stop you."

My panties were wet just from the way he was looking at me – and the sound of his voice. What I really wanted to do was to hurry back to his place and have sex in an empty apartment – without his family down the hall from us. But I suspected that what he really wanted was for me to give him the live-action version of his fantasy.

And so I did.

The moment I began to peel off my clothing his breathing slowed, his eyes went wide, and his arousal became evident. Yet the entire time, he remained leaning against the door.

After I had brought myself to climax, he finally walked over to me. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he sucked my fingers clean. Then, he knelt between my legs and licked me clean there as well.

"We need to get back to my place," he said, nearly growling.

"Why?"

"I'm not finished with you yet."

**~*~**

As we were leaving the house, Letty reminded Eli that there were a few things he had promised to fix for her.

"I'll come by this week and take care of that," he told her.

Turning to me, she said, "And if you come with him, that will give us a chance to play cards and catchup. We didn't have much chance to talk tonight."

After promising that I would try to come with him if I had time, we said our goodbyes and got on the road.

In the car, I turned to him and said, "She is so proud of you."

"How can you tell?"

"How can you not?"

"I guess I can. But I'm not sure I see what you see."

**~*~**

When I finally got home, Dad let me know that Detroit had won that night's game – game 2 of the World Series. He was quite animated as he told me about the game and made his predictions for the Series, which was now tied – one game apiece. He knew that I didn't really care, but the man loved baseball and needed to talk about how much he loved the game. Even if his team had been eliminated.

By Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals had won three more games, winning the World Series 4 to 1.

**~*~*~**

After Eli and I started sleeping together again, we switched our date night from Friday to Saturday night – since the shop was technically closed on Sundays. This meant that I could spend the night and we could sleep in. (I don't think that had anything to do with Eli's decision to build that into the shop's schedule. It was more that he wanted to make sure that his guys had time with their families. If there were big jobs that needed to be finished, he and a couple of guys would put in a few hours on a Sunday. But he wanted that to be the exception rather than the rule.) Sometimes, we also got together on Friday night, but he always had me home by midnight on Fridays.

Lately, Alicia had been traveling a lot for work. Dad would stay at her house and watch Darrell while she was away. That made it a little less awkward for me to spend nights at Eli's place.

When I stayed over, I would take Backup with me. He seemed to like it there. The guys who worked at the shop seemed to like him – after Backup warmed up to them, of course. Eli and Backup had always gotten along, but their bromance was becoming sickeningly sweet, even for me. There were times that Backup didn't want to go home; he wanted to stay there with Eli.

**~*~*~**

About a month after the fact, I heard through the grapevine that Caz Truman was found duct-taped to the Neptune High School flagpole and that his Yukon had been cubed. That would have been about the time I was checking if Caz had an alibi or if he could be responsible for the rapes on campus.

Was it possible that Eli had done that to him? He did know that I was looking into Caz's whereabouts, and he knew that Caz had raped me at Shelly's party.

I decided to ask him if he knew anything about it. And it turns out that he did.

He had been upset that Caz wouldn't be prosecuted for raping me. When he thought that Caz might be drugging and raping other girls, he couldn't just stand back. He had called in a favor with the PCH Bike Club. He played them the recording of Thumper confessing to killing Felix.

"I told them that you had kept investigating until you got to the truth. And even if they didn't think they owed me anything for helping them out with the Fitzpatrick mess, they certainly owed you."

"So they put Caz on the flagpole and cubed his car … for me?"

"Yeah."

"You're awfully crafty."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're getting a little too good at getting things done without getting your hands dirty."

"All I did was ask. They could have said no," he said with a shrug. But he didn't look me in the eye as he replied.

**~*~*~**

The week before Halloween, Eli had asked me if I had any big plans.

"You know, the usual: slappin' on my sexy nurse duds and rollin' tweeners for their chocolate." I paused before adding, "Care to join me? I'll agree to do something you like in exchange for something I like: dressing up and passing out candy to trick-or-treaters."

As he wiped his hands on a cloth, he asked, "You've got a sexy nurse costume? Why haven't I seen it?"

"No … that was a joke."

"If I buy one, will you wear it? … That was not a joke."

"And what will your costume be?"

He gestured to the coveralls he was currently wearing.

"I'm not buying that as a costume. You could wear scrubs and a lab coat – go as a doctor."

"I'd rather be your patient. As I recall, you've got great bedside manner."

He pulled me in for a kiss, careful to not get my clothes dirty.

When he broke the kiss, I asked, "So … you'll do it?"

"But the deal is you do something that I choose."

"Yes."

With a wicked grin, he said, "I'm picturing you in leather …"

"Leather?! Is this another one of your fantasies? What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Many things … but top of the list is … I've been planning to get a new bike, but I want to test drive a few first."

"You're finally gonna replace your motorcycle?"

**~*~*~**

Since we don't usually get that many trick-or-treaters at my apartment complex, I decided to take Letty up on her offer to come to their house to hand out candy. Letty covered her door for a while when we walked Ophelia around the neighborhood.

I was surprised when my brain conjured up pictures of us doing this with a child of our own someday.

**~*~*~**

The next day, Eli told me to drop by his shop after closing time. He led me into a separate area off the main garage space. After unlocking the door, he explained that he intended to eventually build a set of stairs from here up to his apartment – which would allow him to use this as his personal garage and private entrance.

"For now, I use this as my workspace when I'm doing custom jobs for clients. I can focus better in here by myself."

When he turned on the lights, I saw a motorcycle sitting in the middle of the space.

"A guy I know asked me to do a tune-up on this before he tries to sell it."

"Are you thinking of buying it from him? Is that why you're showing it to me?" I watched as he nodded. Walking over to the bike, I ran my hand over the leather seat. "Eli, it's beautiful. Did you ride it yet?"

Wordlessly, he shook his head. I noticed that his eyes had gone dark – darker than normal. I continued checking out the motorcycle, leaning over to get a good look at the custom paint job and shiny chrome.

He interrupted my thoughts to say, "I was hoping to take you for a ride on it tonight. But seeing you right now … I'm considering a different kind of ride."

When I looked up at his face, heat immediately spread throughout my body.

"Another fantasy?"

As he nodded, I gave him a crooked smile. Conveniently, I had worn the miniskirt that he was so fond of. And I also had a condom tucked in my bra – as I usually did when I wore this skirt. Because I knew what would happen anytime I wore this skirt.

I turned my back to him and leaned over from the hips – giving him a good look at my ass as I draped myself over the seat of the bike.

In my best "Betty" voice, I asked him, "What is this called?" I knew that he would have to walk around the bike to see what I was pointing at.

When he did, I looked up at him as he looked down my shirt.

"How much time do you have, _M_ _ía_?"

"Enough."

"Stay like that," he said as he walked back around behind me. He pushed my skirt up around my waist and began massaging from my thighs up to my lower back. He worked one finger under the edge of my panties and then slid down until he found the wet spot between my legs. He inserted two fingers and groaned. Extending his other hand around in front of my face, he said, "Condom. Now."

Reaching down into my bra, I pulled out the condom I was hoping I would need tonight. I placed it in his hand as I looked over my shoulder. I watched as he hurriedly rolled it on.

He didn't even bother removing my panties; he just slid them to the side.

When he was finished, he leaned over my back, kissing my neck. "Now that I have taken you for a ride on this bike, I have to buy it."

A laugh escaped from my throat. "So … another fantasy fulfilled?"

"You look hotter draped over this bike than I ever could have imagined. And believe me, I imagined … repeatedly."

Fortunately, I had thought to bring a change of clothes. So after I changed from my miniskirt into jeans, we took a ride up the PCH. By the time we got back to his shop, he was sure he would be buying it.

**~*~*~**

Wallace had gotten behind in a couple of his classes. It only affected his grade in his engineering course, but since that was his major, it was significant. He knew he had to do well on the next exam, and he had purchased an old test with the answer key. The professor accused him of cheating because he had done "a little too well" on the exam. Wallace decided to stay in the class and take a zero for that exam. Now he was so busy studying to get caught up and stay on top of things that we barely saw him.

**~*~*~**

As I continued to investigate the serial rapes, friends and family were becoming more concerned. It seemed that everyone at Hearst was on edge, particularly since the most recent rape. Dad wanted me to be careful on campus, but he didn't know how much digging I had been doing. His concern was just normal parental level. Wallace and Mac cautioned me from doing anything that would put me in danger. Eli's word of caution was the most drastic, and it came with a demand. He wanted me to back off the investigation; he was concerned that the rapist would find out that I was investigating and target me.

In a way, I understood his concern, but he must have known that I couldn't leave it alone. I didn't really give him an answer – I didn't agree to go along with his demand, and I also didn't tell him that I planned to continue. In fact, I avoided him in order to avoid the topic.

Business was booming, and his schedule was full. He tried to call when he had a chance, but we went about a week without talking. Sometimes I did actually miss his calls, but sometimes, I chose to ignore them.

**~*~*~**

Since I was doing so well in Landry's class, I should have figured that someone would try to mess with me. But I had not expected that I would have to waste a week tracking down the person who posted my paper online and made it appear that I had plagiarized. It turned out that Landry's teaching assistant, Tim Foyle, had set the whole thing up as an elaborate scavenger hunt that led me to discover that Landry was having an affair with Dean O'Dell's wife, Mindy.

You would think that I'd stop being surprised by people in Neptune having affairs. Why couldn't people just get married and stay faithful?

I found myself asking similar questions when I noticed how much time Dad was spending with his client Harmony Chase. She had hired him to find out if her husband was having an affair. He wasn't. But now, she and my dad had developed some sort of connection; and they were making plans to have dinner and go to the noir film festival.

When I expressed my concern, he tried to assure me that nothing untoward was going on, but I heard him making all the same excuses that I had heard other people make over the years. He was on a slippery slope. I was not only concerned; I was disappointed. He had been the one shining example of character that I was able to look to in this dark, seedy town – giving me some faith. If he took a turn down Infidelity Avenue, I wasn't sure how I would recover from that.

Rather than deal with it head-on, I chose to avoid Dad too.

**~*~*~**

While I was avoiding Dad and Eli, they were both leaving me messages. I stopped at the apartment on Saturday morning to get some things, and Dad was there. When he asked where I was staying, I told him that Wallace had given me his room key because he and Piz were away studying in a hotel room – using the insane model from the movie The Paper Chase.

I settled into their dorm room expecting to have a peaceful weekend, but Piz returned because he was unable to deal with Wallace's level of insanity.

That day during lunch, Piz suggested that we go bowling. Parker and Logan both happened to be nearby when he brought it up, so he invited them too.

It was an unlikely foursome, to say the least. But it honestly was fun. It did help relieve some stress. And I found that I could have a good time with people other than Mac, Wallace, and Eli.

**~*~*~**

The day after we went bowling, Parker decided that she wanted to stop by the radio station to flirt with Piz. Not sure why she needed me along for moral support, but when she asked, I didn't feel like I could say no to her. This was the first time she had shown any interest in a guy since she had been raped.

While we were there talking to Piz, he introduced us to the DJ for Club Flush, Mercer Hayes. Immediately, Parker started to pull me away. She had difficulty finding the words to explain why she was acting strangely, but it became clear that Mercer's cologne had triggered a memory. And that memory was related to the night that she was raped.

Since he would be on the air for the next two hours, I would try to do some investigating. I tracked down Carlos and asked if he could let me into a room – no questions asked and without telling Eli. While in Mercer's room, I found GHB and a pair of clippers. Not exactly a smoking gun, but perhaps enough to get Lamb's attention.

Shortly after Mercer was taken into custody, I got a phone call from Logan asking me for a favor. He wanted me to prove that Mercer wasn't the rapist. He said that the two of them were in Mexico on the date of one of the rapes. Logan wouldn't tell me more than that (he seemed highly embarrassed by whatever he wasn't telling me), but he assured me that Mercer couldn't have done it.

With Piz's help, I got a look at the shift schedule at the radio station. Mercer had an alibi for all the rapes – he was on the air doing a live call-in request show.

**~*~*~**

I continued avoiding both my father and my boyfriend. Finally, Eli left a voicemail saying that he knew I was ducking his calls. He sounded angry but also concerned. Every message ended the same: "Please call me, Veronica. Doesn't matter what time of day … two in the morning or whatever … just call me. I need to hear your voice, _M_ _ía_."

As much as I wanted to hear his voice, I didn't want to hear what he would have to say. And I knew – for damn sure – that he didn't want to hear what I would say in reply.

There was no way I was going to stop investigating the rapes at Hearst. Not until the rapist was caught and behind bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My plan is to post a new chapter every 2 to 4 weeks until this fic is complete (probably by summer). Then, we'll move on to Part 4 (of 5), which takes place during the years between season 3 and the movie.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 was posted less than a week ago. So if you haven't read it, click back.
> 
>  
> 
> Chapter 10 includes a modified version of #3.7 "Of Vice and Men."
> 
> Occurs in mid-November 2006.

On the heels of our recent bonding over bowling, Logan not only asked me for one favor for his friend Mercer but also a second favor for himself: to figure out what was going on with his finances. Something seemed hinky to him. After scouring his financial records and following a lead all the way down the rabbit hole, I found out that the money was going to someone Logan knew nothing about but perhaps should have: his half-brother, Charlie Stone.

I thought about just giving Logan the guy's phone number, but since I was able to find out where his brother worked, I decided to go one step further. I arranged a meeting. Charlie thought he was just having coffee with the new assistant to the accountant who oversaw his monthly payment. I told him it wasn't necessary to come all the way down to the office; I could meet him for coffee some afternoon near the school where he taught. I didn't tell Logan where we were going until we got there.

When we arrived outside the coffee bar, I told Logan everything and asked him if he wanted me to go in and smooth the way with his brother or if he just wanted to head back to Neptune. He chose Option A.

It only took a few minutes for me to explain to Charlie the real reason I had asked him to meet me. I asked him if he would like to meet Logan.

After calling Logan to tell him to join us, I introduced them, and then I went for a walk.

The first few minutes of their conversation went so well that Logan sent me a text saying that I could head back. He planned to have dinner with his brother and then rent a car to get back home.

I just love a happy ending. Maybe because they are rare in Neptune.

**~*~**

Later that evening, I was in Wallace's room studying. There was a knock at the door, and I heard Eli's voice demanding, "Open up!"

Piz moved toward the door, but I grabbed his arm just before he reached for the nob. I shook my head, but I could see that he still intended to give into Eli's demand – if for no other reason but to make the yelling stop. I did the only thing I could: I hid behind the door as he opened it.

I tried to steady my breathing as I listened to them talking.

Eli seemed surprised when Piz explained that Wallace wasn't there. Piz went one step further and added, "In fact, he hasn't been around the past couple days."

"Her dad said she was helping Logan with something, but I already checked there. They both said she was staying here … with Wallace."

Piz didn't respond to that.

Eli continued, "Look, I know she's pissed at me right now. But I'm just trying to make sure she's safe. You haven't known her as long as I have. She has a habit of … putting herself in harm's way. She's gotten through some dangerous things before, but one of these times, she might not be so lucky." He was getting choked up and had to pause to steady his voice. "I honestly don't know what I would do if something happened to her."

Again, Piz remained silent. And so did I.

"Please tell her I dropped by. And ask her to call me. But most of all, please make sure she doesn't go off on her own 'til they catch the rapist."

After closing the door, Piz stayed on the spot where he had been standing during his conversation with Eli – effectively pinning me there in the corner.

"I think you know how I feel about you. You'd have to be blind not to see it. It pains me on every level to admit this, but he's a good guy, Veronica, and he loves you. You should have seen how concerned he was about you. If he is … and your Dad is … and Wallace and Mac are – don't you think maybe it's worth considering that they might have reason to be concerned?"

I wasn't ready to admit that he was right about them being right.

He added, "You should at least talk to him."

As I gathered my phone, bag, and jacket, I thought to myself:  _You know … for a naïve small-town boy, you're not so dumb._

**~*~**

I decided to go to the food court to get something to eat – and think about what Piz had said about what Eli had said. And about the way Eli had said it. After getting my food, I found a table on the far side of the food court. As luck would have it, I didn't notice the hair in my angel hair pasta until I had gotten all the way over to the table. While standing at the counter waiting for a new plate of food, I listened to the most recent voicemail from Eli. Hearing his voice – what he said and how he said it – got to me as much as his conversation with Piz. As I walked back to the table, I decided I would at least text him to let him know that I got the message he left with Piz. When I sat down at the table, I took a few sips of my drink, which I had left on the table. A few seconds after I hit send on the text message, he called me. I decided that I should take this call.

He still had quite a bit to say, so I started to eat while he spoke.

When I began to respond, he asked, "Veronica, why is your speech slurred? Where are you? Are you drinking?"

I explained as best I could what was happening to me, that I had felt this before. I must have told him where I was, because he told me that I should stay where I was so he could find me. Unless I saw a security guard nearby or someone I trusted. Then, I should hand them the phone so he could tell them what was happening.

But all my instincts said that I should get to my car – where I could lock the doors and be safe.

I have a hazy memory of Eli holding me in his arms. We were on the ground beside my car in the parking garage.

By the time I was fully conscious, I was at home on the couch in our living room.

When Eli had heard my speech start to slur, he had turned around to drive back toward campus. I must have ended the call when I headed for my car. He had heard a car alarm and decided to look around the parking garage first before going inside the student center. When he found me, he drove me to the ER in my car and called my father to tell him to meet us at the hospital.

Now the two of them were taking turns playing nursemaid. The medicine they were spooning into my mouth was the nastiest thing I had ever tasted. Dad promised me Luigi's lasagna once I was feeling better if I would be a cooperative patient. He also told me that he would not be seeing Harmony anymore.

I drifted in and out of consciousness. In my lucid moments, I thought a lot about the past couple weeks. There were times that I would wake up to find the two of them asleep on the couch and chair. As I looked at them, I recognized that there was a lesson about faith in the middle of all this – if I was willing to learn it. You give faith to the people you love. But the people who really deserve it are the ones who come through even when you don't love them enough.

**~*~*~**

When I fully woke up a day after being dosed, Eli was sitting in the chair next to the couch. His eyes were closed, but he must not have been asleep because the moment I moved, he opened his eyes.

He moved to my side, kissed me on the forehead, and said, "Scared me to death,  _mi vida_."

"I'm okay."

"Okay?!" Shaking his head, he whispered, "If I had gotten there even a few minutes later …  _M_ _ía_ , the back of your head was shaved. How is that 'okay'?"

"Please, I don't want Dad to know that part. Can we talk about this another time?"

He nodded in understanding but did not seem happy about it. "I have to check on something at work. Call me later and we'll find time to get together and sort this shit out."

I didn't have to ask what he was referring to. I knew that he not only meant talking about what had happened to me last night, but what had been going on with us – me avoiding him. It was time to finally talk it all out.

**~*~**

Rather than call him, I decided to drive over to his shop. We talked in his office. Again he demanded that I leave it alone.

"I don't want to say 'I told you so' but this – what happened last night – is what I was afraid of. It's why I asked you to stop going after the rapist."

"Eli, how can you ask that of me? You know who I am … probably better than anyone else. It's not like this is some new facet of my personality. It's not gonna change."

There wasn't much else to say at the point, so I got up to leave.

He stood and took hold of my arm, turning me around to face him. "Are you gonna keep avoiding me?"

"I will take your calls if you stop demanding that—"

"That you be more careful? That you not try to do everything on your own?"

He was getting angry again. I didn't want to argue with him. Especially when he was like this.

"Fine, I'll take your calls … as long as I'm not in the middle of something."

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the side of my head. "We'll get through this,  _M_ _ía_. We always do."

I'm not sure if he was trying to convince me or himself.

As he took hold of my hand, he grabbed his jacket. "Take a ride with me."

It wasn't a suggestion. I figured he needed to clear his head. I should have been glad that he wanted me with him while he did that. On some level, I was. And I needed to clear my head too.

For a little while – those few moments – everything seemed okay. But I knew nothing had changed. There were two things I was certain of: He didn't want me investigating the rapes on campus. And I couldn't leave it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those times I feel the need to warn you that the road ahead is about to get bumpy. If you thought Logan was protective, possessive, etc. during this arc, just imagine how Eli is gonna handle things.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 9 and 10 were posted a few weeks ago. If you haven't read them, click back.
> 
> [
> 
> Chapter 11 includes a modified version of #3.8 "Lord of the Pi's" and #3.9 "Spit & Eggs."
> 
> Occurs mid to late November 2006.

Throughout the next week, I kept feeling like someone was watching me. It was a creepy feeling. At first, I figured I was just being paranoid. But as I have found out countless times, I should always trust my gut. Because it turned out that there was someone following me around campus.

And what do you know … I recognized the person.

I walked right up to Carlos and said, "Eli asked you to do this, right?"

He put his hands up and backed off. "Look, I don't wanna get tasered. Or pounded. Can you just deal with him yourself?"

"What exactly did he ask you to do? Are you the only one he enlisted?"

"There's someone else for when I'm working. We're just supposed to keep on an eye on you. Mostly at mealtimes. Told me to make sure nobody put anything in your drink or food."

"That's it?"

"Well, he did say that if I had to do anything that got me fired, he'd give me a job."

All I could do was shake my head. I pulled out my phone to dial as I told Carlos, "As of now, you're both off-duty."

When Eli answered, he said, "This is a nice surprise—"

I cut him off, saying, "In a couple seconds, you're gonna wish I hadn't called."

His sigh told me that he knew exactly why I was calling before I even started yelling.

Within moments, I was alone in my car. And I let him have it with both barrels. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I want you to be safe. I would like to trust that you would be more careful after what happened, but right now … I have trust issues."

"And this is how you establish trust?! I was freaking out … worried that the rapist was following me around … until I finally got a good look at the guy's face. Took me about a half-second to put two and two together and come up with you as the brainiac behind this scheme."

He let out another sigh. "Veronica … I'll admit that this may not have been the best way to deal with it. I probably should have told you—"

"You should have asked me."

"But I was concerned because I love you." He seemed to be waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, he asked, "Do you love me?"

Even though we were on the phone and he couldn't see my face, I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. You know I do."

After a period of silence, he asked, "Why don't you come over for dinner? We should probably talk."

"Tonight?"

"Any night."

"I'm kinda swamped this week. Let me see how the next couple days go. I'll get back to you."

"You mean that?"

"Yeah."

I was lying. And I was sure that he knew I was lying.

**~*~*~**

As it turned out, it was a crazy week on campus. I was still working as a photog at the Heart Free Press. My assignment for the week was to cover an event where the guest of honor, Selma Hearst Rose, went missing. While I was tracking her down, I was also investigating some new information related to the rapes. Chip Diller had been found passed out in the quad in his underwear. A coded clue in a plastic Easter egg that had been shoved up his keister. The Roman numerals inside were actually a date that someone found important enough to go to those extreme measures.

That clue led me to start asking questions about a girl who fell off the roof of her sorority house. The feminist brigade – headed by Nish, Claire, and Fern – was convinced that the Pi Sigs had something to do with the rapes on campus. That was why they had targeted Chip. When I approached them with what they considered "smart questions," they gave me the full story about Patrice Petrelli. But I was having difficulty believing that they wanted to get to the truth when Claire had faked her rape.

**~*~*~**

Dad and I were invited to eat Thanksgiving dinner with the Fennels – minus Wallace, who spent Thanksgiving break in New York with Jackie and her family. Terrence Cook decided it was time for him to meet his grandson. So he purchased tickets for himself and Wallace. Terrence stayed in a hotel suite; Wallace stayed with Jackie.

They had to schedule their big family dinner around Jackie's and her mother's work schedules. But according to Wallace, they all had a great time. Jackie was able to take Thanksgiving morning off so that she, Wallace, and her son, Thommie, could go see the parade. That may have been the highlight of the trip for Wallace – after years of watching it on TV.

Wallace texted photos to me and Darrell, so it was almost like we were there with him. I kept busy playing games and watching TV with Darrell while Dad and Alicia were taking care of the food preparations. During dinner, I did my best to keep conversational topics on the light side, attempting to avoid anything that could cause tension or that would set off my dad – in other words: anything school-related that would remind him that he was concerned about me investigating the rapes on campus.

After dinner, I helped Alicia with the dishes and then made an excuse to leave before everyone settled in on the couch to watch football. Just because Dad and I managed to keep things civil during dinner did not mean that I felt comfortable hanging around for a longer period of time.

**~*~*~**

In a strange turn of events, after the Greeks were banned from campus, Dean O'Dell wandered into the radio station booth while Piz was on the air and announced that the Greeks were reinstated.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, it seemed that all the frats were of one mind. There was only one thing to do in this circumstance: party.

The week after Thanksgiving, Take Back the Night set up a booth where they were giving away rape whistles, as well as coasters from a drug testing company that would show whether a drink had been dosed.

I took one of the coasters to Dean O'Dell and basically demanded that he have the frat provide them at the party. Although he agreed to make sure that it happened, I still felt the need to go to the party to keep an eye on things.

When I arrived at the Pi Sig house – with Wallace, Mac, and Piz in tow – I found that they had simply photocopied the front of the testing coaster and reprinted it onto card stock. The four of us – each armed with one of the authentic coasters – went around testing the drinks of any girls who seemed particularly out of it. We found a drink cup that tested positive but couldn't find the girl to whom the cup belonged. Eventually, someone told us that the girl lived off-campus. By then, Logan had joined our merry band, and he offered to go make sure the girl was safe, saying, "Let me do this, Veronica."

So I let him go. But just after he left, we found out that the information we had been given was wrong. She lived on campus and was likely headed for her dorm.

I got to her room and found her out cold in her bed. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I decided to take on the rapist by myself. Even as I heard someone coming into the room, I knew that everyone – Eli, my dad, my friends – had been right. I should have backed off the investigation.

By the end of the night, I had been attacked and given another dose of GHB. If Parker hadn't responded when I used the rape whistle, I probably would have been raped. But she and several other people came to my rescue and helped wrap up the case.

As it turned out, it had been Mercer – with a little help from Moe, who drove the Safe Ride Home cart and gave the GHB to the girls.

**~*~*~**

The next morning while I was sitting on the couch giving all the details to Mac and Wallace, Eli walked in. Dad must have called him. Not a word was said, but they all got Eli's message. My two best friends vacated the premises as quickly as they could. My father mumbled some excuse about needing to do something at the office.

In a matter of seconds, I was left alone with the one person who cared about my safety as much as my dad did.

He paced back and forth for a minute before he finally came over to sit in the chair. There was space to sit with me on the couch, but he had chosen to put a little distance between us.

Looking down at my hands, I tried to decide where to start, but he beat me to it.

"I'm gonna try to say this calmly, Veronica. I have worked really hard to put my old life behind me. I'm trying to be a better man – not just for you but for myself. But you keep putting yourself in harm's way, not asking for help. When you do that, you have no idea what it sets off in me – the need to protect you, to retaliate against anyone who hurts you … even a little bit." He paused and looked away for a second. Then, he turned back to me, looking straight into my eyes. "I need you to decide what kind of relationship you want. 'Cause I can't do this anymore. It's not good for us, and it's sure as hell not good for me. One more night like this and I will end up behind bars for assault – or more likely murder."

"Eli, it's over. We got him. And I don't know what Dad told you, but I'm fine."

"No. It's not over. There will be another case. There's always another case. And I get that, but I need you to step back. Let your Dad and others do the most dangerous stuff. I need you to just … be a student. Get an education. Be alive to enjoy it. Let me enjoy being your boyfriend, instead of fighting my demons every time you take on something bigger than you can handle."

I was stunned. Not just by his words, but by the painful truth in them. I knew that the answer to all this wasn't simple and I couldn't express everything that was going on inside me, so I simply said, "Okay."

Only after my response did he move over to the couch and wrap his arms around me.

He was right, of course. I couldn't expect him to change and then not be willing to make changes too. Honestly, I hadn't thought about how my actions would affect him. I should have realized. I'm not sure why I didn't. But I see it now. And he's right. I don't want that kind of relationship – where he finds himself in a tug of war between his demons and his better angels.

But I didn't know how to stop the tug of war inside of me.

For the moment, I just let him hold me because it's what we both needed.

**~*~**

Later that day, I found out that Logan had gotten himself arrested so that he could get put in the cell with Mercer. When I finally had a chance to talk to him about it, he said that he went momentarily insane. He still felt responsible for what happened to me at Shelly's party, for the part he had played in that night's events. Apparently, the same ill-aimed fury that made Eli arrange for Caz to end up on a flagpole is also what fueled Logan's rage as he pummeled Mercer.

What did it say about me that I wouldn't have stopped either of them if I'd had the chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters occur in December 2006 – so there will be some holiday happiness in the midst of all the tension.


End file.
